Food and Drink Federation environmental progress report

The Food and Drink Federation has published a progress report, which sets out the progress that its members have made in meeting the targets set out in its 2007 Five-fold Environmental Ambition.

Members have collectively reduced their carbon emissions by 21% since 1990; saved more than two million cubic metres of water in 2009 (a saving of 5.6% since 2007); and cut the food and packaging waste sent to landfill to 9% - the goal is to reduce to zero by 2015. The original targets within the Five-fold Environmental Ambition have also been updated and more challenging commitments have been introduced across key areas of carbon reduction, waste to landfill, packaging reduction, water efficiency and transport miles.

These are as follows

• Raising the 2020 CO₂ reduction target from 30% to 35%
• Accelerating progress to the 2015 zero landfill waste target and contributing for the first time to a supply chain waste prevention target
• Taking WRAP’s Courtauld 2 Commitment as the basis of a packaging target with a new aim to engage with consumers
• Building on the success of the Federation House Commitment on water efficiency to develop guidance on water use and management in the supply chain
• Continuing to embed environmental standards through a ‘fewer and friendlier’ transport commitment and contributing for the first time to IGD’s Sustainable Distribution initiative

At the same time, FDF has launched a new set of five principles that reflect the broader sustainability challenges and will guide its future work to reduce the sector's impacts across the supply chain. These are:

• To supply consumers withsafe, nutritious, appetising and affordable food and to help them make sustainable choices which will secure these benefits for the future
• To lead by example, building on the success of FDF’s Five-fold Environmental Ambition to extend our influence across the supply chain as part of a longer term food strategy
• Work with suppliers, customers, employees, policy makers and other stakeholders to develop the necessary information, skills and business environment to deliver continuous improvement in the use of energy, water and other natural resources to help address the pressing global issues of climate change and loss of biodiversity
• Encourage the development of life-cycle thinking throughout the supply chain and try to remove systemic barriers to improving resource efficiency, from the sourcing of raw materials to the disposal of post-consumer waste
• Promote innovation and technology to reduce waste and extract maximum value from the resources used and to help consumers get the most from products

The progress report may be seen here.