UK: Working with businesses in the supply chain to reduce waste

Industry body WRAP is working on an industry-wide agreement to tackle the food waste problem, which is being dubbed Courtauld 2025 as it will supersede Courtauld 3. WRAP has held talks with leading supermarkets and retailers, following a report by the House of Lords which revealed the UK is responsible for one fifth of the EU’s food waste.

Courtauld 2025, which WRAP has proposed to start early 2016, will be a 10-year framework aimed at developing a new farm-to-fork commitment to tackle inefficiencies. Courtauld 2025 will help consumers to avoid food waste, but crucially will target businesses in the supply chain and work with them to become more efficient and cut waste. The Courtauld 3 agreement targets individual stages of the food cycle – household waste, supply chain waste and packaging waste – whereas Courtauld 2025 will look at the whole cycle.

Jeremy Haydn-Davies, Sirane sales director, said: “Innovative packaging can work throughout the supply chain, and can significantly cut wastage. Many of our products have been developed with exactly this goal in mind, as it’s an area we have expertise in. Whether it’s meat or seafood, poultry or fresh produce, we’ve developed a range of solutions that help cut food waste, and we’d love to hear from companies who are interested in further development work in order to tackle industry problems.

“We work with producers, packers and retailers, so we are able to assist throughout the supply chain and offer solutions that can impact positively on wastage – Sirane is well-positioned to have just as positive an impact on the objectives of Courtauld 2025.”

Supermarkets and food retailers came under fire from Westminster in April after a report published by the House of Lords EU Committee claimed British retailers are merely shifting the food waste blame on to customers with ‘Buy One Get One Free’ offers. According to the committee, retailers are failing to take full responsibility for the amount of waste they contribute to the 222 million tonnes of food that gets wasted every year. Britain’s inability to tackle the food waste problem is said to be costing the economy at least £5 billion a year.

Evidence used by the committee demonstrated how retailers use deals like Buy One Get One Free offers to encourage consumers to buy in larger volumes so retailers can move stock they may have over-ordered on. Retailers only directly account for around 5 per cent of food waste - with consumers causing 42 per cent and producers 39 per cent - but the report argued closer analysis shows retailers have developed ways to make other parts of the supply chain take on the waste they have caused, by cancelled orders, over-ordering or insisting on standards that a significant proportion of a farmer’s crop cannot reach.

WRAP will announce a formal proposition for Courtauld 2025 next year.
Sirane is an innovative packaging design, development, manufacture and solutions company which specialises in areas including absorbency and ovenable/microwaveable products, compostable packaging, films, boards, absorbent pads, and much more.

For more information:
Jeremy Haydn-Davies
Sirane
Tel: +44 1952 230055
Email: jeremy@sirane.com
www.sirane.com