The issues
Global demand on natural resources has reached a critical level, and public engagement with climate change and environmental protection has never been so high.
The Courtauld Commitment 2030 includes a target for an absolute reduction in the greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions associated with consumption of food and drink in the UK by 50% against a 2015 baseline.
Our summary report UK Food System GHG Emissions: 2023-24 Update (Summary Report) reaffirms the critical role that the food system has to play in reducing GHG emissions both in the UK and overseas.
150 Mt carbon dioxide equivalents
The total carbon footprint of food consumed in the UK. This is equivalent to 30% of the UK’s territorial greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions.
- Around 7.1 Mt of CO2e reductions have been delivered across the food and drink system to date. Achieving the Courtauld Commitment 2030 food waste target would result in a further c.4 Mt of avoided GHG emissions. This, together with ongoing decarbonisation, will help us to achieve the 20% GHG reduction target.
- However, the climate is now widely recognised as the most important issue of our time, and there is a need to go further and faster.
- Following recommendations by the Committee on Climate Change, the UK government has set a target to bring all GHG emissions to net zero* by 2050. Wales has an ambition to achieve net zero by 2050 and Scotland is committed to becoming a net zero society by 2045.
- To meet global and corporate climate objectives, customers and investors are also increasingly requiring businesses to measure and report information on their GHG emissions and the actions being taken to reduce them.
A company that communicates its climate resiliency to its investors will have a competitive advantage over those that don’t.' Mary Schapiro, Vice Chair for Global Public Policy at Bloomberg LP, June 2019
What can my organisation do?
1) Set a TARGET to reduce emissions. Many leading food and drink businesses are responding to the climate crisis by developed ‘science-based’ targets to reduce GHG emissions from their own operations, and from the products they sell.
2) MEASURE: Establishing a baseline of your GHG emissions and measuring them over time is a critical step to know your levels of exposure; where to focus reduction efforts - and to know that actions taken are having the right effect.
Different ‘scopes’ of GHG measurement have been defined by the GHG Protocol (for reporting purposes), and are commonly used terms.
- Scopes 1 and 2 includes any GHGs that are emitted directly in your own operations (e.g. process emissions, fuel for heating/transport, refrigerant gases), or through electricity consumed. There are very well defined accounting standards for these and many food and drink businesses will already be effectively measuring energy and GHG emissions within their own operations, and have realised cost savings as a result.
- Scope 3 includes any GHG emitted in the production and supply of the raw materials, ingredients, products, and packaging that you procure; as well as the use of those products and management of any wastes.
For most food and drink business, supply chain (scope 3) emissions will be much higher than direct (scope 1 and 2) emissions. This makes measuring scope 3 emissions critical, but it is a much more challenging task because of the complexity of supply chains, and because there are no well-defined and collectively agreed approaches.
3) ACT to reduce emissions. Many food and drink businesses are already taking action to reduce scope 1 and 2 GHG emissions across their own operations, and there are good sources of information and advice to help them do so.
Reducing scope 3 emissions (which mostly arise during the production of raw materials) is a much more daunting challenge. With shared supply chains for these raw materials, it makes sense to work together on this challenge, and working with customers, suppliers, peers and industry experts through the Courtauld Commitment 2030 Supply Chain GHG Working Group provides means to do so.
Tracking UK Food System Greenhouse Gas Emissions: 2024 Update
Reaffirming the critical role that the food system has to play in reducing GHG emissions both in the UK and overseas.
Scope 3 GHG Measurement and Reporting Protocols
WRAP has consulted widely with the food and drink sector to develop Scope 3 GHG Measurement and Reporting Protocols for Food and Drink Businesses – along with supporting resources - that any business can use, with minimum training.
Retailer Net Zero Collaboration Action Programme
A vital new collaboration to cut the climate impact of UK food and drink
Courtauld 2030
Courtauld 2030, WRAP's flagship voluntary agreement for UK food and drink, has a target to deliver a 50% absolute reduction in GHG emissions associated with food and drink consumed in the UK by 2030 (against a 2015 baseline).
Meat in a Net Zero world
'The UK meat industry is collectively working towards a joint vision of improved resource efficiency from farm to fork. We aim to make the UK meat industry a world-leading example of efficient and sustainable meat production and supply.'