Resources

Report
25 October 2022

We need to radically transform our relationship with single-use plastic packaging and a key part of this will be the move to reuse and refill for many everyday items we purchase.

Our latest report and research explores citizen behaviours around reuse and refill. In partnership with Asda and Unilever, we shadowed research participants across the whole of their shopping journey. From pre-shop preparation to instore experience, we evaluated how our trial participants interacted with refill zones and developed and tested a series of instore behaviour change interventions. All designed to improve the reuse and refill shopping experience for our participants.

Initiatives:
  • Plastic Packaging
  • Eliminating problem plastics
  • The UK Plastics Pact
  • Plastic packaging design
  • Global Plastics Pacts
  • Reuse and refill
  • Film and flexible packaging
  • Reducing and preventing food waste
Sector:
  • Hospitality and food service
  • Retailers and brands
  • Trade associations
  • National government and departments
  • Non-governmental organisations
Case study
25 October 2022

The objective of the project was to take a complex product such as a ready meal and conduct a detailed review of the current process flow and identify waste hotspots and opportunities for reduction.

Initiatives:
  • Food and drink
  • Reducing and preventing food waste
  • Measuring and reporting food waste
  • Courtauld Commitment
  • Food Waste Reduction Roadmap
  • Whole chain resource efficiency
  • UN SDG 12.3
Sector:
  • Farmers and growers
  • Manufacturers
  • Retailers and brands
Report
7 October 2022

In autumn 2021, WRAP commissioned two large scale pieces of online consumer research on the life expectancy of different items of clothing in UK wardrobes and the UK’s appetite for adopting new models of clothing acquisition – some of which discard the notion of owning clothes all together.

Initiatives:
  • Textiles
  • Consumer behaviour
  • Textiles 2030
Sector:
  • Retailers and brands
  • Textiles sourcers, producers and designers
Report
28 September 2022

This research summary report shows the joint research undertaken regarding food loss and waste across four key markets - UK, US, Canada and Australia. The study found that nearly half of respondents throw away as much food or more than they did this time last year revealing an opportunity for consumers to save more by reducing waste in their homes.

Initiatives:
  • Food and drink
  • Reducing and preventing food waste
  • Measuring and reporting food waste
Sector:
  • Hospitality and food service
  • Retailers and brands
Report
17 August 2022

Non-mechanical recycling has the potential to significantly increase the UK’s recycling rates, enable recycled content to be used back in packaging and divert valuable resources from landfill and incineration. Working alongside traditional mechanical recycling, it will have a big impact towards the redesign of our plastics system in the UK and our vision of a circular economy for plastics.

This paper sets out the WRAP’s position on the use of non-mechanical recycling technologies and how it must be effectively utilised to support the transition towards a circular economy for plastics in the UK.

Initiatives:
  • Plastic Packaging
  • The UK Plastics Pact
  • Plastic packaging design
  • Global Plastics Pacts
  • Film and flexible packaging
  • Waste management and end markets
Sector:
  • Manufacturers
  • Retailers and brands
  • Waste management and reprocessors
  • Local Authorities
  • Packaging producers
  • Trade associations
  • National government and departments
  • Non-governmental organisations
Report
5 July 2022

To meet the Courtauld Commitment 2030 food waste target and UN Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 12.3, collaborative and concerted efforts to reduce food waste are required. Redistributing surplus food is one of the best ways that businesses can help to reduce the amount of food that ends up as waste.

Initiatives:
  • Food and drink
  • Reducing and preventing food waste
  • Surplus food redistribution
  • Courtauld Commitment
  • Food Waste Reduction Roadmap
  • Guardians of Grub
  • UN SDG 12.3
Sector:
  • Farmers and growers
  • Hospitality and food service
  • Manufacturers
  • Retailers and brands
  • Trade associations
  • National government and departments
Report
5 July 2022

The Resource Action Fund (RAF) was an £18 million fund, provided by Defra to support resource efficiency projects, with the goal of diverting, reducing, and better managing waste. The funding supported organisations in England which aimed to reduce waste and make better use of materials.

Initiatives:
  • Food and drink
  • Reducing and preventing food waste
  • Surplus food redistribution
  • Courtauld Commitment
  • Food Waste Reduction Roadmap
  • Funding
  • Consumer behaviour
Sector:
  • Farmers and growers
  • Hospitality and food service
  • Manufacturers
  • Retailers and brands
  • National government and departments
  • Non-governmental organisations
Report
5 July 2022

The Resource Action Fund (RAF) was an £18 million fund, provided by Defra to support resource efficiency projects, with the goal of diverting, reducing, and better managing waste.

Initiatives:
  • Plastic Packaging
  • Food and drink
  • Funding
  • Textiles
Sector:
  • Manufacturers
  • Retailers and brands
  • Textiles sourcers, producers and designers
  • Waste management and reprocessors
  • Packaging producers
  • National government and departments
  • Non-governmental organisations
Guide
16 June 2022

The UK Plastics Pact is transforming the way that the UK makes, uses and disposes of plastic. 

Over halfway to our 2025 targets, the Roadmap sets out the specific milestones and activities which are critical if we are to achieve our goals in the years remaining.

Initiatives:
  • Plastic Packaging
  • Eliminating problem plastics
  • The UK Plastics Pact
  • Plastic packaging design
  • Global Plastics Pacts
  • Reuse and refill
  • Film and flexible packaging
  • Waste management and end markets
Sector:
  • Hospitality and food service
  • Manufacturers
  • Retailers and brands
  • Waste management and reprocessors
  • Local Authorities
  • Packaging producers
  • Trade associations
  • National government and departments
  • Non-governmental organisations
Guide
18 May 2022

WRAP’s Scope 3 Protocols for Food and Drink businesses are being updated

We are calling on the food and drink sector to feedback on the usability of our protocols, and the recommendations and requirements suggested for the sector.

Find out more

Initiatives:
  • Food and drink
  • Courtauld Commitment
  • Reducing greenhouse gas emissions
  • Whole chain resource efficiency
Sector:
  • Farmers and growers
  • Hospitality and food service
  • Manufacturers
  • Retailers and brands
  • Trade associations
  • National government and departments
  • Non-governmental organisations
Guide
26 April 2022

This Implementation Resource has been created to supplement WRAP’s Guidance on Labelling for Redistribution (the Guidance), which outlines how long different foods can be expected to be suitable for redistribution after the ‘Best Before’ date, the associated date labelling and storage instructions and the processes required by food businesses and redistribution organisations within the UK to ensure that surplus food is safely redistributed.

Initiatives:
  • Food and drink
  • Surplus food redistribution
  • Courtauld Commitment
  • UN SDG 12.3
Sector:
  • Farmers and growers
  • Hospitality and food service
  • Manufacturers
  • Retailers and brands
  • Non-governmental organisations
Report
26 March 2022

This report summarises the methods and findings of a project to understand the impacts of enhanced material sampling on facilities that receive recyclables.

Initiatives:
  • Collections & recycling
  • Collections and sorting
  • Kerbside collection
  • Material Recovery Facilities
  • Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR)
Sector:
  • Retailers and brands
  • Waste management and reprocessors
  • Local Authorities
  • Packaging producers
  • Trade associations
  • National government and departments