WRAP has released its annual progress reports for the UK food, textiles and plastics industries, detailing data regarding companies’ continued efforts to reach environmental targets. The report finds a reduction in edible food waste and concurrent greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from companies involved in WRAP’s initiative, although it also highlights a need for an acceleration of efforts.
The report forms a part of WRAP’s voluntary Courtauld Commitment 2030, an agreement methodology whereby it proposes industry-wide agreements to reduce waste in a non-competitive manner. Companies involved in the agreement are delivering positive data as part of WRAP’s report.
“Our vision is for a thriving world in which climate change is no longer a problem,” Richard Swannell, Interim CEO of WRAP, tells FoodIngredientsFirst.
“WRAP published progress reports for Textiles 2030, the UK Plastics Pact and Courtauld 2030. Within these pages are hundreds of examples of businesses already making sustainability changes that bring both environmental benefits for us all and deliver changes the public are anxious to see.”
“Those who have been part of the Courtauld Commitment for several years show the largest reduction in food waste, as part of an industry-wide agreement,” he details.
The Courtauld signatories are targeting a 50% per capita reduction in food waste by 2030 versus the UK 2007 baseline, covering manufacture, hospitality, food service and household.
“Our plans underpinning this vision are ambitious, collaborative and expansive, which is the only way to tackle climate change successfully. We urgently need to accelerate work across the UK and extend our work in the 40 countries we now work in to build on what we have achieved to date,” outlines Swannell.
“So for every business, it is imperative that they strive to reduce these if we are to have a hope of lessening the worse impacts of climate change.”