WRAP at COP30
Event details
Date and time: -
Venue:
11 to 22 November 2024
Baku Stadium
Baku
Azerbaijan
WRAP will be at COP30, sharing our bold vision for a circular future.
A future where Circular Living is the norm, where we have changed from our current take-make-dispose approach to design-make-reuse, radically reducing waste and carbon emissions from everyday products.
Catherine David, CEO, WRAP states “Food loss and waste is one of the most overlooked drivers of the climate crisis, but also one of the most fixable. Our current food system is linear - we take, make, and waste. To build a truly sustainable food system, we must rethink how we value food, from farm to fork and beyond. Reducing food waste is one of the fastest, most practical ways to cut emissions, ease pressure on supply chains, and make better use of the resources we already have. A circular approach to food isn’t just good for the planet, it’s essential to create a more resilient future."
WRAP is partnering with ReFED and the Global FoodBanking Network to co-host a series of food loss and waste sessions in the Blue Zone’s Action on Food Hub, featuring a cross-section of leaders and important actors across the food system.
Food loss and waste is a hidden climate disaster. It drives 8–10% of global greenhouse gas emissions, nearly five times more than aviation, and costs the world over a trillion dollars each year. If food waste were a country, it would be the third largest emitter after China and the US. Yet almost 9 out of 10 countries failed to include food loss and waste in their national climate plans last year.
WRAP is calling on governments to commit to halving food waste by 2030, to embed this in their NDCs, set measurable targets, and back them with real policies. At COP29, we shone a spotlight on this issue and at COP30, we’ll be reporting back on which governments have stepped up.
This circular food system is within reach, but only if we act together. Businesses and governments have a crucial role to play in turning ambition into action and at COP30, governments must show they understand this, by embedding food waste reduction into their climate commitments.
WRAP delegation
The team of experts representing WRAP at COP30, and the dates they will be in attendance are:
Sebastian Munden
WRAP, Chair
Sebastian Munden is Chair of the global board of trustees for WRAP. He has over 30 years’ experience in the fast-moving consumer products industry, creating strong competitive brands with commercial success while addressing wider responsibilities to society and the planet.
He is also Global Chair of Ad Net Zero, the advertising industry’s international programme to deliver net zero ways of working and help promote sustainable behaviours, products, and services. Sebastian is co-author of the book, Sustainable Advertising: how advertising can support a better future, shortlisted for best business book of the year 2025.
He is a senior adviser working in strategy and communication with a number of different organisations, and currently the independent Chair of the advisory steering group for PackUK, the scheme administrator for household packaging recycling (EPR) across the UK.
Sebastian has served on policy and steering groups for The Food & Drink Federation, The Institute of Grocery Distribution, The Inclusive Economy Partnership run by the Cabinet Office, and for Movement to Work, and chaired a policy review on the Future of the Local Economy for the British Chambers of Commerce.
Catherine David
WRAP, Chief Executive Officer
Catherine is WRAP's CEO and is on a mission to bring circular living to every board room and every home.
She has spent her career building coalitions globally with businesses and governments to drive system transformation, with particular expertise in the food, packaging, textiles and fast-moving consumer goods sectors. Catherine is a member of the Champions 12.3 group, determined to halve food loss and waste by 2030, and ensure that we make the most of the precious food we grow.
David Rogers
WRAP, Director of International Development
David is the Director of International Development at WRAP. David heads up our international work on sustainable products and resource-efficient business models, working with partners around the world to drive up recycling, re-use and waste prevention in line with the UN Sustainable Development Goals.
Previously, David was WRAP’s Head of Sustainable Products, leading work through the Sustainable Clothing Action Plan (SCAP), European Clothing Action Plan (ECAP) and Electrical and Electronic Equipment Sustainability Action Plan (esap) on resource efficiency in consumer products, principally clothing. This included a large amount of work on resource-efficient business models in the fashion and consumer electronics markets.
David has also led WRAP’s work to tackle food waste around the world, with projects in Europe, Asia, North America and the Middle East working with partners including UN Environment and WRI.
David joined WRAP in 2009 and is a member of the WRAP Executive Board.
Carolina Fernández
WRAP, International Partnerships Manager
Carolina is an International Partnerships Manager for WRAP’s global work. With a background in chemical engineering and environmental management, for the past 5 years she has been at the forefront of WRAP’s work on accelerating the circular economy on plastics, textiles, food waste, water and on GHG emissions around the world. Most recently she has been focused on the LATAM region.
Carolina has extensive experience identifying and maintaining partnerships with stakeholders from government and businesses, to other NGOs, agencies and funders, from all over the world.
Fluent in English, Spanish and Portuguese. Carolina is a true global ambassador having lived and worked in different parts of the world, including countries across Europe, Africa, and Central America. Her multi-cultural experiences contribute to her current role as International Partnerships Manager at WRAP
WRAP’s COP30 programme
Keep an eye on this page to stay up to date with our events and speaking engagements.
| Date | Online event |
|---|---|
| 30 Oct | Pre-COP Webinar: Why Ending Food Waste should be on the agenda at COP30
|
| Date | Events in collaboration with ReFED and GFN | Time | Location | WRAP speaker(s) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 12 Nov | Progress on Food Loss and Waste Policy: This session will explore where we are seeing progress on the food loss and waste agenda at the international, national, and regional levels. It will include reflections on which countries are taking a lead role, including in their NDCs and national plans. Specifically, it will look at what needs to be done to accelerate action. How can we mobilise more financial support? What is the connection between government action and the private sector? And, what are the opportunities beyond COP30 to make real progress? WATCH THE LIVESTREAM HERE | 9:30-10:30 (Belém) / 12:30-13:30 (GMT) | Action on Food Hub, Blue Zone | Lisa Moon, GFN |
| 12 Nov | Food Loss and Waste Solutions in Action: This session will highlight 3-5 solutions that are already happening, drawing in representatives from different sectors, followed by a discussion around keys to progress. Where are we seeing progress and real-world solutions on the food loss and waste agenda? What are the keys to moving these solutions forward? And, what more is needed to accelerate action? WATCH THE LIVESTREAM HERE | 10:45-11:45 (Belém) / 13:45-14:45 (GMT) | Action on Food Hub, Blue Zone | Catherine David, WRAP |
| 12 Nov | Workshop: From Theory to Action on Food Loss and Waste: This session will be a hands-on working session, targeted largely to practitioners about how to turn ideas around food loss and waste into real-world action. We will have presenters from different sectors highlight where we are seeing advances and how to do it, followed by breakout tables in 3-5 areas so people can workshop issues as they gain a deeper understanding of them. | 12:00-13:00 (Belém) / 15:00-16:00 (GMT) | Action on Food Hub, Blue Zone | Dana Gunders, ReFED |
| Date | Event | Location | WRAP team member(s) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 3-4 Nov | C40 World Mayors Summit 2025 | Rio de Janeiro, Brazil | Sebastian Munden (attending) |
| 4-6 Nov | IRG COP30 Rio CMO Summit | Rio de Janeiro, Brazil | Sebastian Munden (speaking on behalf of Ad Net Zero) |
| 5 Nov | The Earthshot Prize 2025 Awards Ceremony | Rio de Janeiro, Brazil | Sebastian Munden (attending) |
| 7 Nov | Bridging the Gaps: Advancing Coherent Policies for Climate Adaptation and Mitigation for Agriculture and Food Systems, hosted by WWF and partners | Santos, Brazil | Catherine David and David Rogers (speaking) |
| 9 Nov | Inauguration of the Composting Center for COP30 | Belém, Brazil | Catherine David (attending) |
| 10 Nov | LOW-M Initiative: Enabling cities to implement and Scale Waste Methane Solutions | Belém, Brazil | David Rogers (attending) |
| 10 Nov | Sunset Reception & Networking, hosted by GreenNova Hub, CLEAN, ICN, and Orla Brasil | Belém, Brazil | Catherine David (attending) |
| 10 Nov | Re:Imagine Nightcap: Celebrating a Sustainable Future, hosted by RE:TV and the Sustainable Markets Initiative | Belém, Brazil | Catherine David (attending) |
| 11 Nov | Unlocking Resilience and Growth: Integrating Nature into Climate Action, hosted by Lloyds Banking Group | Belém, Brazil | Catherine David (attending) |
| 11 Nov | From Commitment to Implementation: Scaling Climate and Social Impact in Food Systems, host by McDonald’s | Belém, Brazil | David Rogers (attending) |
| 11 Nov | Belém Leaders’ Declaration on Hunger, Poverty, and Climate Action | Belém, Brazil | Carolina Fernández (attending) |
| 11 Nov | Women & Culture: Creators in Conversation, hosted by Project Dandelion | Belém, Brazil | Catherine David (attending) |
| 11 Nov | ReAl Solution: How Recycling Contributes to the Circular Economy and Climate | Belém, Brazil | Catherine David (attending) |
| 11 Nov | FT Live and Diageo event: Building Business Resilience Through Water Stewardship | Belém, Brazil | Catherine David (attending) |
| 11 Nov | Goals House: Climate Storytelling Nightcap | Belém, Brazil | David Rogers and Carolina Fernández (attending) |
| 12 Nov | IFOAM Asia event: Agroecology as a non-market climate solution under Art. 6.8 | Belém, Brazil | Catherine David (attending) |
| 12 Nov | Google x Octopus Energy Nightcap | Belém, Brazil | Catherine David (attending) |
| 13 Nov | UNEP Event: A Food Waste Breakthrough for Climate, Biodiversity, and Equitable, Resilient Cities | Belém, Brazil | Carolina Fernández (speaking) |
| 13 Nov | From Waste to Resilience: Tackling Food Loss and Waste to Advance Climate Action and Food Security, hosted by GFN and SESC | Belém, Brazil | Carolina Fernández (attending) |
| 13 Nov | Waves of Change Nightcap: A Night for the Ocean | Belém, Brazil | Carolina Fernández (attending) |
| 14 Nov | Climate Action House Nature & Biodiversity day | Belém, Brazil | Carolina Fernández (attending) |
| 14 Nov | Cutting the Waste: How Climate Plans Help Leverage Action on Food Loss and Waste for People, Nature and Planet | Belém, Brazil | Carolina Fernández (attending) |
| 15 Nov | Ministry of Social Development event: Reducing Food Loss and Waste | Belém, Brazil | Carolina Fernández (speaking) |
| 17 Nov | Just Transition for Global Protein: Aligning Supply, Demand, and Emissions within Planetary Boundaries, hosted by FSF Institute, EDF, and ILRI | Belém, Brazil | Carolina Fernández (attending) |
| 16 Nov | Brazil's National Strategy for a Plastic-Free Ocean | Belém, Brazil | Carolina Fernández (attending) |
| 17 Nov | TED Countdown House's Building a Mutirão for food systems: Cultivating shared ambition beyond COP30 | Belém, Brazil | Carolina Fernández (attending) |
| 19 Nov | From Pledges to Practice: Implementing and financing food-waste reduction after COP30, organised by Zero Waste Europe and GFN | Belém, Brazil | Carolina Fernandez (speaking) |
| 20 Nov | Enabling holistic NDCs: Tools for integrated climate, biodiversity, and food system action | Belém, Brazil | Carolina Fernández (attending) |
| 20 Nov | COP30 Super Pollutant Solutions: Food waste action in Latin America: mitigating super pollutants, increasing food and nutritional security and implementing circular economy | Belém, Brazil | Carolina Fernández (speaking) |
| 20 Nov | COP30 UK Business Leaders Forum | London, UK | Catherine David (attending) |
Daily themes at COP30
- 10-11 November: Adaptation / Cities / Infrastructure / Water / Waste / Local Governments / Bio Economics / Circular Economy / Tourism
- 12-13 November: Health / Jobs / Education / Culture / Justice and Human Rights / Information Integrity / Global Ethical Balance / Workers
- 14-15 November: Energy / Industry / Transport / Trade / Finance / Carbon Market / Non-CO2 gases
- 16 November: Rest Day
- 17-18 November: Forests / Oceans / Biodiversity / Small and Medium Entrepreneurs / Indigenous People / Local and Traditional Communities / Crianças & Youth
- 19-20 November: Agriculture / Food Systems and Food Safety / Fishing / Family Farming / Women and Girls / Gender / Black People / Science and Technology / Artificial Intelligence
- 21 November: Closing
Follow us on LinkedIn and X where we’ll be posting about our time at COP30, and how WRAP is transforming our product and food systems to create #CircularLiving.
Meet us at COP30
If you’d like to arrange a meeting, or enquire about our availability to speak at events, we’d love to hear from you.
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