Zero waste to landfill
Sending food and packaging waste to landfill not only wastes the resources used in their production but also adds to total greenhouse gas emissions through decomposition. Even
though most food waste is generated by households rather than manufacturers, FDF members recognise the need to lead by example in their own operations.
Our Commitment
To send zero food and packaging waste to landfill by 2015 at the latest.
To make a significant contribution to WRAP's Courtauld 2 target of reducing
product and packaging waste in the supply chain by 5% by end of 2012 against a
2009
baseline.
Progress Made
A total of 21 FDF member companies have now signed up to Courtauld 2, a
voluntary agreement launched in 2010 in sucession to Courtauld 1, setting new
and more
challenging targets to reduce the impact of packaging and waste across the
supply
chain.
WRAP's First Year Progress Report, published in December and covering
achievements between 2009 (baseline) and 2010, shows that there has been a 0.4%
(10,000
tonnes) absolute
reduction in the amount of supply chain waste arisings across all signatories,
1.1% when adjusted for changes in sales volumes.
The progress recorded by FDF member company signatories providing data for this
period equates to an absolute reduction of 6.9% in supply chain waste arisings
and 3.1% when changes
in sales volumes are taken into account. These figures show that whilst
progress
overall against the supply chain waste target has been relatively modest, FDF
signatory companies appear to be
performing well against the target.
The WRAP analysis of waste arisings also shows that the largest reduction has
come from a
marked shift away from landfill and other disposal options. This is further
evidence of the progress being made against our zero waste to landfill target.
We are continuing to work with WRAP on supporting FDF member signatories and
their supply chains identify ways of reducing waste from the outset – the first
stage in
the waste hierarchy.
A report on 'Opportunities for resource efficiency in the food and drink sector'
based on the findings of the waste prevention reviews conducted by WRAP in 2009
at selected sites of 13
FDF member companies has recently been published.
One area highlighted in these reviews for further work was to look at the
opportunity to increase the uptake of Production Ready Packaging (PRP) as a
means to
reduce packaging waste
from incoming goods and improve production efficiency. A joint project was set
up with WRAP involving member companies to explore the issues further including
examples of PRP systems
available, benefits and potential barriers. Other food companies and PRP
technology providers were also contacted. WRAP arecurrently considering how
best to
disseminate the findings of
this work.
WRAP have also released new estimates showing a sharp fall in the amount of food
and drink waste generated by UK households. The figures show that the
activities
of FDF members and other Courtauld 2 signatories working alongside WRAP, local
authorities and community groups have helped households to reduce the overall
volume from 8.3 million
tonnes in 2006/7 to 7.2 million tonnes in 2010, a fall of 13%.
Avoidable waste is down 0.9 million tonnes from a baseline of 5.3 million tonnes
in 2006/07, a fall of 18%.
When analysed against the Courtauld 2 target of reducing UK household food waste
by 4% by 2012 compared to 2009 (baseline) these estimates show that signatories
have contributed to a reduction of 3% (or around 260,000 tonnes) over the first
year of the agreement and are therefore well on track to meeting this objective.
We continue to encourage members to work with FareShare and other similar
charities that redistribute surplus food and drink products to disadvantaged
people in
society. Preventing
the waste of food which remains fit for consumption, even when no longer of
commercial value, is all the more important in current economic circumstances.
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More Information
Last reviewed: 06 Dec 2011