The Courtauld Commitment 2030
Milestone Report 2018-2021 and
Annual Progress Report 2022-2023
Looking back to 2018 the Courtauld Milestone Report shows progress against targets for food, water and greenhouse gas emissions across the food and drink sectors. Read about the innovations, the solutions and the challenges ahead in keeping on track to tackle climate change.
Progress against targets
Food Waste
Target
To deliver UN Sustainable Development Goal 12.3: 50% per capita reduction in food waste by 2030 vs the UK 2007 baseline.
Progress
Between 2007 – 2021
- On a per capita basis, UK food waste fell by 26kg per person per year, an 18.3% reduction
Between 2018 – 2021
- On a per capita basis, UK food waste increased by 6.2kg per person per year, a 5.6% increase
Greenhouse gas emissions
Target
By 2030, 50% absolute reduction in GHG emissions associated with food and drink consumed in the UK by 2030 vs the 2015 baseline.
Progress
- We model a 14% reduction in total emissions between 2015-2021
- Accelerated progress by stakeholders in the coming years is needed to meet the Courtauld 2030 target. Scaling up progress requires stakeholders across government and industry to deliver on their existing pledges and commitments as outlined in WRAP's GHG pathway, published in 2021.
Water
Target
By 2030, 50% of the UK's fresh food & drink is sourced from areas with sustainable water management.
Progress
- In 2018 WRAP launched a water ambition, having set water as a priority in the 2015 Milestone Report.
- The Water Roadmap was launched in November 2021.
- On launching the Water Roadmap, 51 businesses signed up and committed to undertake water risk mapping, set water-related targets and monitor progress, as well as participate in collective action on water stewardship, in key sourcing areas.
- There were 7 collective action projects in the UK and overseas at this point.
September 2018
Food Waste reduction Roadmap launched.
May 2019
Guardians of Grub launched
November 2019
Retail Survey for 2019 published
June 2020
Meat in a Net Zero World launched
December 2020
Surplus Food Redistribution tripled in the period 2015-2020 (increase of 90.7%)
March 2021
Food Waste Action Week (1-7 March 2021)
June 2021
'Best practice on redistributing own-label products within the supply chain' published
July 2021
Extension of Courtauld 2025 to 2030
Associate Membership model introduced
November 2021
Water Roadmap launched
Progress and perspective...
See how retailers and businesses are demonstrating the fast, innovative and practical action and transforming our food system, through The Courtauld Commitment.
Action on food waste
Tackling food waste from our homes is crucial to meeting our ambitious targets. Overall, food waste has gone up since 2018, but is still 18% below 2007 levels, the baseline year for Courtauld. Making up 65% of the food waste tracked under Courtauld, changes in household food waste contribute greatly to these trends.
You can read more about progress to date in the 2018-2021 Milestone report.
This Milestone year report brings together data, evidence and learning from
Action on water
Protecting critical water resources for food supply, for nature, and for local communities
Since its launch in November 2021, 74 stakeholders and partners from across all sectors of the UK food industry and water stewardship community have signed up to the Water Roadmap, and seven collective action projects are in place bringing businesses, stakeholders and resources together to tackle water issues on the ground at a catchment level. Businesses that sign up to the Roadmap commit to measuring water risk in their operations and supply chain; identifying hot spots; setting water-related targets and reporting on progress. They also commit to joining collective action projects in key sourcing areas.
Read more about action on water.
Action on greenhouse gases (GHG)
Achieving a 50% Reduction in Emissions from the UK Food System
We estimate that between 2015 and 2021 there has been a 14% reduction in emissions associated with UK food and drink consumption. The biggest consistent drivers of this reduction have been in the supply chain and consumer stages, most notably in the household, retail and manufacturing sectors. This is driven primarily by a decrease in the GHG intensity of energy since 2015.
Accelerated progress in future years will be required to meet the 50% target. WRAP outlined a pathway to halving emissions by 2030 in 2021: this requires stakeholders to effectively deliver upon existing pledges, including notably greater progress on reducing food waste, reducing emissions on-farm, eliminating deforestation and improving UK land management.
Read more about progress on reducing Greenhouse Gas emissions in food and drink
