Morrisons, Sainsbury’s, Tesco and Asda pledge to cut food waste 20 percent by 2025
Britain’s leading supermarkets including Asda, Sainsbury’s, Tesco and Morrisons are backing a voluntary agreement to drive down food and drink waste by a fifth within the next decade, which also targets a 20 percent reduction in greenhouse gas emissions created by the food and drink industry. Some 24 local authorities and major brands and manufacturers such as Coca-Cola, Nestlé and Pizza Hut have also committed to the ‘Courtauld Commitment 2025’ produced by the Waste and Resources Action Programme (Wrap). The pledge comes days after Tesco committed to sending no surplus food to waste from its stores by the end of next year by redistributing it to charities. Wrap estimates the agreement will save the UK economy around £20 billion and put the country on track to meet the UN’s Sustainable Development Goal to halve food waste by retailers and consumers by 2030. (Independent)
Supply Chain
POIG raises the bar for deforestation-free palm oil
The Palm Oil Innovation Group (POIG), an international collective of palm oil growers and non-government organisations, has released new standards to verify that companies are producing the commodity without deforestation, peatland destruction, or the exploitation of communities and workers. The group includes NGOs as Greenpeace, Rainforest Action Network and the Orangutan Land Trust, and consumer goods firms like Ferrero and Danone. POIG’s verification indicators are stricter than the Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil’s (RSPO) current certification requirements. They are also the first set of indicators which have been tested out by major palm oil companies to prove to global brands that producing deforestation-free palm oil is both operationally possible and economically feasible, said the group, which was founded in 2013 to build on RSPO standards. (Eco Business)
Policy
Business giants call on UK Chancellor to deliver a budget that builds on Paris Agreement
UK Chancellor George Osborne is facing calls to ensure tomorrow’s 2016 budget speech highlights the historic Paris Agreement and the UK’s continuing commitment to build a low carbon economy. The Prince of Wales Corporate Leaders Group on Climate Change, which represents a host of blue chip firms, including BT, EDF Energy, GlaxoSmithKline, Heathrow, Jaguar Land Rover, Kingfisher, Lloyds Banking Group, Skanska, Sky, Tesco, and Unilever, wrote to the Chancellor urging him to use the budget to help mobilise clean technology investment. Specifically, the letter calls on the chancellor to confirm an extension of the Levy Control Framework, which manages the level of financial support available for clean energy projects; establish domestic energy efficiency as a UK investment priority; and reform the business energy efficiency tax landscape in a way that encourages investment and disclosure. (Business Green)
Honey Nut Cheerios, a brand of General Mills Canada, is pledging to help find a solution to unstable bee populations by launching an integrated advertising campaign around the issue, including removing its “Buzz” bee mascot from the packaging for a limited time. “One-third of the foods we depend on for our survival are made possible by the natural pollination work that bees provide. With ongoing losses in bee populations being reported across Canada, we wanted to leverage our packaging to draw attention to this important cause and issue a call to action to Canadians to help plant 35 million wildflowers,” said Emma Eriksson, director of Marketing for General Mills Canada. The brand is giving away free wildflower seeds packs and encouraging people across Canada to visit BringBackTheBees.ca and request free seed packs in the mail. (Adweek)
Environment
Report: Environmental risks killing 12.6 million people, WHO study says
Nearly one in four deaths is linked to unhealthy environments and are avoidable, a new World Health Organisationstudy, the first major assessment of environmental risk since 2006, has shown. It suggests environmental risks now contribute to more than 100 of the world’s most dangerous diseases and injuries, and kill 12.6 million people a year – nearly one in four of all deaths. Of these, 8.2 million deaths are from non-communicable diseases (NCDs), such as strokes, cancers and heart illnesses, a significant rise in 10 years. According to the study, the number of deaths from NCDs linked to indoor and outdoor air pollution, climate change and exposure to synthetic chemicals have increased. “A healthy environment underpins a healthy population,” says Margaret Chan, WHO director general. “If countries do not take actions to make environments where people live and work healthy, millions will continue to become ill and die too young.” (Guardian)
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