New targets for reducing the carbon impact of grocery packaging announced 16 Mar 2010
In the second phase of the voluntary Courtauld Commitment, 29 leading food
companies working to a 2012 deadline, have agreed to embrace goals that demand more
sustainable use of resources over the entire product life-cycle.
The three new targets are:-
· Packaging – to reduce the weight, increase recycling rates and increase the recycled
content of all grocery packaging, as appropriate. Through these measures the aim is
to reduce the carbon impact of this grocery packaging by 10%.
· Household food and waste – to reduce UK household food and drink wastes by 4%.
· Supply chain product and packaging waste – to reduce traditional grocery product and packaging waste in the grocery
supply chain by 5% - this includes both solid and liquid wastes.
Liz Goodwin, CEO of the UK government-funded Waste and Resource Action Programme
(WRAP ) said: “The new agreement has a broader scope than the first Courtauld
Commitment in 2005, demanding a more comprehensive action across the supply chain
to reduce the environmental impact of the food and drink sector. “It's no longer
enough to look at the impact of packaging alone – that's why Courtauld
Commitment 2 takes into account the environmental impact of product waste in the supply
chain as well as at household level.”
Hilary Benn, Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, added
his support to the new voluntary agreement. “Grocery manufacturers and retailers
have already started to take action and halted the increase in packaging. The
new Commitment sees them go further than ever in reducing food waste and
packaging, and making it smarter – and I want to see members of the industry continuing
to sign-up over the coming months.