New resource to help drive sustainability in food and drink further

As part of its Ambition 2030 initiative (which aims to halve emissions across the entire agri-food supply chain by 2030), The Food and Drink Federation (FDF) has just announced the next phase of its plans.

Food consumption accounts for more than a fifth of the UK’s total carbon emissions. At the same time, half of the UK’s Plastic Pacts targets are likely to not be met, and 18% of food waste occurs during manufacturing. Together these details mean the stakes are high when it come to sustainability in Britain’s food and drink industry.

The organisation’s five new member toolkits cover every strategic pillar of its Ambition 2030 programme – Net Zero, Nature Restoration, Sustainable Commodities, Food Waste and Packaging.

Each toolkit has been designed to work for businesses at any stage of their sustainability journey, whether they’re just at the start, or are looking to push themselves further.

The kits provide practical steps, advice and guidance, including detailed insights into the current sustainability policy landscape, information about the latest frameworks and standards for manufacturers, priority areas for businesses to action upon, and information on FDF activities that can help members achieve their own green ambitions.

Each toolkit also includes resources businesses need to undertake self-assessments, helping them to understand their current environmental impact, and potential areas for improvement. That could be engaging with industry initiatives to help build sustainability through supply chains, promoting regenerative farming, or standardising carbon reporting.

Emma Piercy, head of climate change and energy policy at the FDF, said, “Achieving our sector’s ambitious net zero and nature targets will take proactivity and collaboration, with each business recognising the part they have to play in tackling critical climate issues.

“We recognised that the sustainability policy landscape is complex, and that food and drink manufacturers will all be at different stages in their sustainability journeys, that’s why we’ve created these new Ambition 2030 toolkits, giving businesses the support and guidance they need to contribute to our collective action on climate progress towards their sustainability goals.”

Ambition 2030 is the flagship sustainability strategy for UK food and drink manufacturers, setting out the sector’s role in tackling climate change, outlining how each business can contribute towards a more sustainable future for the industry, while also setting out a vision for collaborations between manufacturers and policy makers.

It seeks to reduce carbon emissions across the agrifood supply chain in Britain by 50% by 2030, improve habitats in the face of nature crisis,  address supply chains for commodities which are contributing to deforestation, halve per capita food waste, and to contribute towards a world class packaging recycling system in Britain. Progress reports will be published each year, measuring success and delivering case studies so members can see change in action.

Read more about the toolkits and Ambition 30 here.