Food and Drink Federation (FDF) members hit their target of sending zero food and waste to landfill in 2015, and manufacturers are on track to meet their commitment for a 55% reduction in CO2 emissions by 2025.
The FDF said the results show the industry has delivered significantly improved environmental performance since 2007 when it launched its FiveFold Environmental Ambition (FEA). Future progress on sustainability will be tracked through Ambition 2025, which was launched in 2016 and includes new commitments around sustainable supply chains and natural capital.
Members achieved the target of sending zero food and packaging waste to landfill by the end of 2015, a target the FDF intends to maintain in 2017 and beyond.
A commitment to an industry wide target to reduce water use by 20% by 2020 was met five years early and now stands at 30.1%; while members have already achieved a 46% reduction in CO2 emissions from their use of energy in manufacturing operations, putting them on track to reach a target of 55% by 2025.
To-date FEA commitments have largely focused on the impacts from manufacturers’ direct operations; however future ambitions – although currently loosely defined – will include commitments that cover issues such as sustainable supply chains and natural capital.
“The results published today show that our industry has delivered significantly improved environmental performance,” said Helen Munday, the FDF’s director of food safety, science and sustainability and chief scientific officer. “Looking forward, we feel the new commitments under Ambition 2025 cover important areas in which we can make a positive impact as a sector.”
