RETAILERS COMMIT TO FURTHER CUTS IN FOOD WASTE

Grocery retailers last week signed up to challenging new targets for cutting food waste in the supply chain and at home, building on the excellent progress already made in these areas.

Under the third phase of the Courtauld Commitment, launched last Thursday by the resource efficiency body WRAP, all the major grocery retailers have agreed to work towards three new environmental goals, including a commitment to reduce household food waste by five per cent by 2015 (from a 2012 baseline):

– Reduce traditional grocery ingredient, product and packaging waste in the grocery supply chain by 3% by 2015, from a 2012 baseline. This target represents a reduction of 8% relative to anticipated production and sales volumes.

– Reduce household food and drink waste by 5% by 2015 from a 2012 baseline. This target represents a reduction of 9% relative to anticipated changes in food and drink sales.

– Improve packaging design through the supply chain to maximise recycled content as appropriate, improve recyclability and deliver product protection to reduce food waste, while ensuring there is no increase in the carbon impact of packaging by 2015, from a 2012 baseline. This target represents a carbon reduction of 3% relative to anticipated sales volumes.

The British Retail Consortium (BRC) has welcomed the new agreement as a clear demonstration of retailers’ commitment to reducing food waste further, both from farm gate to shelf and in the home.

The new agreement follows on from significant success in meeting the first and second phase Courtauld targets since it launched in 2005. In phase one, 670,000 tonnes of food waste were avoided between 2005 and 2009 and annual UK household food waste fell by 1.1m tonnes between 2006/7 and 2010. To date Courtauld 2 has delivered a 3 per cent reduction in household food waste.

Measures introduced by retailers to help curb food waste in the home include offering a range of product portion sizes, to fit different customer needs, providing advice on how to store food and recipes for using up leftovers. Retailers are also active participants in the ‘Love Food, Hate Waste’ campaign run by WRAP.

This 3rd Phase also covers ambitious targets for further reducing waste in the grocery supply chain and improving packaging design to minimise its carbon impact.

British Retail Consortium Food and Sustainability Director, Andrew Opie, said:

“These new targets build on the major strides already made by grocery retailers to reduce food and packaging waste. Despite the downturn and other challenges affecting business, the retail industry is continuing to innovate and collaborate on waste reduction as well as working hard to meet wider green goals across all aspects of its operations. That’s delivering real environmental benefits as well as value for customers.”

To see progress delivered so far under the Courtauld Commitment,
visit: www.wrap.org.uk/content/courtauld-commitment-2-targets-progress-and-benefits

Further details on the progress made by the retail sector against a range of environmental targets and commitments can be found in the BRC’s recent A Better Retailing Climate: Progress Report 2012, available at: www.brc.org.uk/downloads/abrc_progress_report_2012.pdf