Resources

Ground-breaking research into the relationship between plastic packaging and five fruit and vegetable items frequently wasted at home, as well as the impact of date labels and storage temperatures, reveals significant opportunities to reduce both food waste and plastic packaging.

The research looked at: 

• If packaging extends the shelf life of fruit and vegetables;
• If selling items loose enables households to buy an appropriate amount for their needs; and
• How people make decisions about when to throw away fruit and vegetables, and what role does a ‘Best Before’ date have on these decisions.

Our third Annual Report provides the most complete picture of action on tackling plastic packaging waste in the UK. It combines aggregated Pact member data from right across the supply chain, with examples of members progress against the targets. This enables us pinpoint where specific action is needed.

So, three years in, what does the picture look like?

Total UK food & drink consumption footprint and pathway to a 50% reduction by 2030. 

New research shows:

• How food system greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions have changed from 2015 to 2019.
• Where GHG emissions ‘hotspots’ remain in the UK food system (including in supply chains overseas).
• Priority areas for action in the short term to help achieve the targeted reduction by 2030.

WRAP works with governments, businesses and citizens to create a world in which resources are used sustainably. Read our April 2020-21 annual review to learn more about our mission to accelerate the move to a sustainable, resource-efficient economy.

In June 2020, 40 key stakeholders from across the UK meat production and supply chain came together, facilitated by WRAP's Courtauld Commitment, to pledge to make the UK meat industry one of the most efficient and sustainable in the world. This summary highlights the areas of significant progress made and the areas that require greater focus.

Shaping a sustainable recovery.

The Courtauld Commitment Annual Report sets out the progress that has been made by the food and drink sector this year towards achieving the voluntary agreement’s targets and the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals. In yet another turbulent year for food and drink, the sector has continued  to deliver meaningful action on climate change, driving collaboration across the entire food system to measure and reduce food waste, greenhouse gas emissions and water stress.

Redistributing surplus food is one of the best ways that businesses can help to reduce the amount of food that ends up as waste. WRAP has previously reported on progress on increasing surplus food redistribution between 2015 and 2018, and this report provides additional data for 2019 and 2020.

Our plan for achieving Net Zero.

This report unveils new insights on how resource efficiency and resource sufficiency can cut greenhouse gas emissions. Developed in collaboration with CREDS researchers at the University of Leeds, it offers a clear, practical roadmap which delivers quick wins.

The Covid-19 pandemic is having a profound effect on citizens’ daily lives, including wide-reaching impacts on food behaviours. WRAP undertook a comprehensive series of four UK-wide surveys – in April, May, September and November 2020 – to understand how it has affected citizens’ food habits, behaviours and attitudes. Each of the surveys were undertaken online with large (4,000+) independent samples of UK adults with responsibility for food shopping and/or preparation.

The Carbon Waste and Resources Metric (Carbon WARM) is a set of conversion factors to enable users to express waste management tonnage data in terms of their Greenhouse Gas emissions relative to landfill.

A world where resources are used sustainably. This is our vision. And this plan tells you what we will do to get there.