U.K. Food and Drink Industry Maps Out Sustainability Goals for Next Five Years

The United Kingdom's Food and Drink Federation (FDF) has released its sustainability goals for the next five years, in a bid to cut down on food waste, reduce emissions and source sustainable ingredients across the industry's supply chains. 

The FDF represents more than a thousand businesses across the food and drink industry in the U.K. The organization unveiled its "Ambition 2030" program on October 23, in hopes of bringing its supply chain partners together to tackle the growing difficulties brought on by climate change. Ambition 2030 highlights five priorities for the FDF in the next half-decade:

• Net-zero emissions: Cutting emissions from the food industry by 50% by 2030, and achieving net-zero by 2040.
• Nature restoration: Investing in a collection of projects centered around regenerative agriculture, which includes reduced water use, less reliance on synthetic pesticides, and restoring degraded soil.
• Sustainable commodities: Sourcing agricultural commodities such as cattle feed from sustainable sources, and halting commodity-driven deforestation by 2030.
• Food waste: Cutting food waste during the manufacturing process by 50%, and working with industry partners and the U.K. government to reduce household food waste.
• Packaging: Committing to a circular economy by investing in a large-scale packaging recycling system.

"The businesses in our sector are active – directly and through their supply chains – in driving down emissions, working to restore nature, reducing food waste, and ensuring all packaging is reduced, reused or recycled," FDF chief executive Karen Betts said. "Ambition 2030 is critical in supporting them to do that, with practical guidance, knowledge sharing and planning, to ensure everyone in our sector successfully navigates the next set of complex challenges." 

Betts said that the FDF is "looking beyond 2030" as well, with plans to eventually map out the next steps toward a more sustainable food and drink sector through 2050.