Food firms pledge environmental savings
26 January 2011
Some of the UK’s biggest grocery and construction companies have this week pledged to make resource savings by signing up to two environmental responsibility deals
Associated British Foods, Coca-Cola Enterprises, Kraft Foods, Premier Foods and Proctor & Gamble are among the major grocery retail names to sign up to the Courtauld Commitment, while Barratt Developments and Hanson UK have committed to Halving Waste to Landfill.
Both responsibility deals – or voluntary agreements as they are also known – are run by waste advisory body WRAP (Waste & Resources Action Programme) and support businesses to improve their overall performances and reduce their environmental impact.
Signatories to the second phase of the Courtauld Commitment, launched earlier this year, are supporting three sector targets associated with food waste and packaging across the UK grocery retail supply chain.
Meanwhile, Halving Waste to Landfill signatories commit to reducing the amount of waste generated and sent to landfill from their construction projects.
The most recent additional signatories take the number of UK companies supporting the Courtauld Commitment to 48, including all of the major grocery retailers. Since its launch nearly three years ago, 540 companies have committed to Halving Waste to Landfill, bringing the potential UK construction contracts to benefit from this waste reduction to well over £30 billion.
Liz Goodwin, WRAP CEO, said: “One of the biggest challenges society faces over the next decade is reducing the environmental impact of the things we buy and build. These responsibility deals bring about changes which deliver both commercial and environment benefits.
“Building a sustainable business is not only about protecting the environment. With it comes a leaner, more efficient business which strips out waste and saves money. The voluntary approach allows industry sectors to move as one and deliver change without government intervention.
“Responsibility deals stimulate businesses to come up with their own ways to solve problems, giving them far greater flexibility and avoiding potentially onerous regulations,” she added.
Companies to join the Courtauld Commitment since July 2010 are:
AB InBev UK
Associated British Foods
Cafédirect
Coca-Cola Enterprises Ltd
Concha y Toro S.A.
Cott Beverages
Findus Group
Kimberley Clark UK
Kraft Foods UK
Miller Brands (UK)
Premier Foods
P & G UK & Ireland
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