Food could get more attention than flights at this year’s climate talks, and that’s positive news. By Claire Atkins Morris.
I’m pleased to see food emerge from the fringes and make the formal agenda at COP28, because the way the world grows, processes, transports and consumes it contributes a third of all greenhouse gas emissions. The scale of it dwarfs aviation, but when people think about carbon footprints it is planes that leap to mind. I’m hoping COP28 will turn people’s focus to food.
I’m equally optimistic about the call for collaboration to extend beyond governments. Earlier this year, the COP28 presidency announced that working with businesses and non-state actors would be a central pillar of its food and agriculture programme, including around food waste. From Sodexo’s recent work with suppliers and clients, we know that close collaboration is not just desirable: it’s the only chance we have of achieving our net-zero goals.
We’ve been working to decarbonise since 2010, and our progress report published in January 2023 shared our 33% reduction across scope 1, 2 and 3 greenhouse gas emissions compared to our 2017 baseline. But with 98% of our emissions sitting in scope 3 – largely in our supply chain and in the services we deliver at client sites – we’ve introduced a new lever to accelerate this work. From January 2030, we will only work with suppliers that can demonstrate tangible progress on emissions reduction through published reporting.
Emphasising tangible progress is important, because while targets help to focus the mind, it is action that we need.
Take food waste. Food insecurity has risen sharply, yet the UK throws away huge amounts of edible food every day. It’s not only horrifying during a cost of living crisis, it’s a key contributor to climate change. Reducing food waste is therefore a key lever in our net-zero transition plan.
Our target is to reduce food waste by 50% by 2025. We can recite that target off by heart, but we’re equally aware of the hard work required to hit it. It’s meant introducing sophisticated waste measurement systems at hundreds of sites, adapting our menus, redistributing food where we can and educating policymakers and partners through our Appetite for Action campaign.
There’s much more to do, but the scale of the challenge is why I find the language of COP28 so encouraging; the business community has been asked to mobilise and be held accountable for progress.
Accountability is key to how we’re working with our supply partners, as is collaboration and understanding. They are integral to our success, which is why we offer mentoring to the smaller organisations that account for 41% of our spend. Through our community of practice, we’re also co-creating solutions with like-minded clients in other sectors to collectively reach our goals faster.
The complexity of emissions reduction means that no single organisation has the answer. But I feel COP28 will provide the much-needed spotlight for food systems.
Claire Atkins Morris is sustainability director for Sodexo UK & Ireland.
