Post: WRAP toughens carbon reduction targets for food industry

WRAP toughens carbon reduction targets for food industry

Environmental charity WRAP has announced revised carbon reduction targets that would help achieve more sustainable management along the food chain.

The Courtauld Commitment 2025 was a ten-year programme on carbon reduction, food waste and water quality, launched by WRAP in 2015. The agreement included more than 90% of UK food industry as well trade bodies, local authorities and NGOs. In an update, published on 20 July, WRAP set out further commitments for the industry up to 2030.

These included a 50% absolute reduction in carbon and greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions associated with food and drink by 2030 (against a 2015 baseline and covering farm-to-fork, including UK and overseas supply chains). The first step, according to WRAP, is for food businesses to better measure and report on their emissions.

The charity noted that many food and drink businesses and industry bodies have been already  setting either net zero targets, or carbon reduction targets for their own operations, but WRAP urged them to address emissions across their entire value chains. Measuring and reducing Scope 3 emissions – which mostly arise during the production of raw materials – is a daunting challenge. But it argued that businesses increasingly recognise the need to work together. The Courtauld Commitment provides a practical, collaborative framework to do so.

To support the industry, WRAP has pledged to work on developing a standardised carbon accounting and reporting methodology, a common set of greenhouse gas emission factors for different foods, ingredients, production systems and geographies and the forward path for more systematic ways of collecting (and verifying) data along the supply chain. Alongside this, WRAP is convening a cross-industry and government panel to tackle current and future data challenges. In the short term, this means more consistent average factors, and in the longer term, more primary data.

Mark Davis, GridBeyond’s Managing Director UK & Ireland, said:

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Notes

Different scopes of GHG emissions have been defined by the GHG Protocol and are commonly used terms.

• Scopes 1 and 2: include any GHGs that are emitted directly in a business’ own operations (such as process emissions, fuel for heating/transport, and refrigerant gases), or through electricity consumed.
• Scope 3: includes any GHG emitted in the production and supply of ‘purchased goods’ (such as raw materials, ingredients, products, and packaging), as well as the use of products and management of any wastes.