Blog

Who collects the waste after it leaves your home, and where does it go?  The answer might be easy to trace in a country like the UK, where I live – public services are strong, and I see the waste truck pass on a regular basis. Large trucks collecting recycling belay the reality in many other countries, however.

We’ve all been there: standing stupidly by the supermarket check-out, staring at our receipt, wondering how the bill could possibly be so high. No wonder when inflation for food and drink hit 19.2% in March 2023, the highest in 45 years. These price increases are largely driven by the on-going war in Ukraine, impacting energy prices and disrupting supply chains, compounded by climate change – including severe droughts in many important food-producing nations.

In November 2022, a quarter of UK citizens were concerned about being able to buy enough food, with 71% reporting changes to how they buy, store, manage or use food as a result.

The donation of surplus food for human consumption that cannot be prevented within the food system addresses several United Nations Sustainable Development Goals, yet, according to the Global Foodbanking Network (GFN), only 1% of surplus food is donated globally.

How do we draw from international practice and enable food donation to be fully integrated into a systemic approach to tackle food loss and waste at increased scale and impact?

Life consists of stages and occasions which define our identity, attitudes, and behaviours. We are constantly evolving, transitioning, and adapting as individuals and communities to the world around us.

Does the evolutionary nature of our lives and taking time for introspection provide an opportunity to consider our personal impact on the environment and influence our behaviour towards food waste reduction?

Through the WRAP Courtauld Commitment 2030, 76 food businesses are committed to cutting the absolute greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from the UK food system by 50% by 2030 (from a 2015 baseline). On paper, current odds would seem stacked against this ambition.  

With climate change beginning to affect the UK’s fruit farmers, we take an in-depth look at one of our collective action projects where a simple solution is helping to ensure we can continue to enjoy the taste of the British summer.

According to the World Economic Forum, the cost-of-living crisis is currently the most severe threat the world’s population is facing. I know it has been a front and centre in my recent professional discussions with countries and businesses around the world.

There was not a day last year when someone, somewhere around the world, wasn’t touched by the impact of climate change. There is no sign this will abate in 2023.

The outcome from COP27 was predictably mixed, with some important steps forward and some areas that fell short in terms of ambition and new actions to tackle climate change.

Here, acting CEO Richard Swannell focuses on what comes next.

In this blog, Keith James, one of our delegation at COP 27, reflects on the emerging consensus around the need to tackle the way we consume goods and services if we are to have a hope of tackling climate change. Are promises and pledges enough?