New research from WRAP has estimated that food, drink and packaging waste in the grocery sector is worth £6.9 billion.
This represents 7 per cent of the value of food and drink sales to households and could be added to the bottom line of retailers.
WRAP estimates that there is 6.5 million tonnes of waste arising in the grocery supply chain. From this figure, 3.9 million tonnes arises from food and drink manufacturers, and the majority of this is food.
Retailer’s main waste comes from packaging, which in total, accounts for around 1.2 million tonnes. The new data examines waste across the supply chain and shows how waste is managed, where food is being redistributed to and where it is used as an ingredient in animal feed.
The report also assesses other materials arising from the production of food. It demonstrates a significant opportunity to reduce food, drink and packaging waste. It supports the need for businesses to work to reduce their own waste, but also to work collaboratively across the supply chain to unlock waste prevention solutions. The report finds that waste prevention will lead to the greatest financial and environmental benefits.
WRAP director Richard Swannell said: “This new research from WRAP can help deliver significant benefits for businesses and the environment. Armed with this knowledge, businesses, and the supply chain as a whole, can more readily identify where problems are arising, enabling them to find the solutions to reduce their waste and make large financial and environmental savings.”
WRAP Infographic of the supply chain
