The targets that form the second phase of the Courtauld Commitment are being announced today (4 March).
Working to a 2012 deadline, Courtauld Commitment 2 moves away from solely weight-based targets and aims to achieve more sustainable use of resources over the entire lifecycle of products, throughout the whole supply chain.
The three new targets are:
- Packaging – to reduce the weight, increase recycling rates and increase the recycled content of all grocery packaging, as appropriate. Through these measures the aim is to reduce the carbon impact of grocery packaging by 10%
- Household food and waste – to reduce UK household food and drink wastes by 4%
- Supply chain product and packaging waste – to reduce traditional grocery product and packaging waste in the grocery supply chain by 5% – this includes both solid and liquid wastes.
Twenty-eight major retailers and brand owners have already signed up to Courtauld Commitment 2.
The announcement of the new targets follows the original Courtauld Commitment, which was launched in 2005. Courtauld has succeeded in stopping growth in packaging, despite increases in both sales and population in the UK.
Hilary Benn, secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, said: “A fifth of household waste is packaging, and more than half of this comes from the groceries we buy. This packaging can be essential but in many cases using less and smarter packaging can achieve the same result.”
