WRAP has launched its annual review of the a Courtauld Commitment 2025 (Courtauld 2025), as well as releasing the names of 24 new signatories to the agreement.
The new signatories include ABP Food Group, Accor Hotels UK & Ireland, The Federation of Bakers, Hovis, ISS UK and the Welsh Local Government Association, who join the 156 organisations collaborating through Courtauld 2025.
This collaboration aims to try and cut one fifth of the resource needed to provide the UK’s food and drink in ten years.
The annual review of Courtauld 2025, has outlined how it has worked with partners to set the work for future activities, and details the main outputs already in progress.
WRAP director of business programmes Steve Creed said: “This first year has been about creating sector-wide collaboration and developing networks for change, and I’m very pleased with how signatories have responded.”
He added that in the first year, the organisation has set up ten working groups that are covering issues from fighting food waste categories, to changing consumer behaviour.
Progress through collaboration includes:
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Working with businesses to create the Your Business is Food: don’t throw it away campaign, which provides free tools and resources to help track cost and act on food waste
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WRAP’s mapping tool, which can trace wastes and by-products created through the manufacturing process
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The Courtauld 2025 signatories agreeing to double the quantity of surplus food redistributed for consumption by 2020, meaning 60 million meals, worth £60 million, will be produced that could feed people in need annually.
WRAP has also created the “Give up Binning Food Instead” challenge aimed at encouraging consumers to give up putting food in the bin for Lent, with the intention of helping people save food.
According to the organisation, the campaign has reached over five million impressions on social media.
For the future, WRAP has said that its primary focus is on decreasing the environmental impact of the UK’s food in households, while supporting organisations and businesses to improve productivity through resource efficiency.
Steve Creed added: “We want to catalyse collaborative action on household food waste, and bring together groups at work across the UK in coordinated action behind a common ambition to accelerate, and make it easier for everyone to drive change. Signatories, including retailers, brands and local authorities, will have the opportunity to play a leading role in coordinating engagement plans going forward.”
