WRAP has announced that 69 leading UK hotels, pubs, restaurants, quick service restaurants (QSRs), contract caterers, industry bodies and government departments have signed up to the sector wide Hospitality and Food Service Agreement, giving it real momentum from launch on 27 June 2012.
- Compass, Domino’s Pizza, Greene King, Greggs, McDonald’s Restaurants Ltd, Unilever Food Solutions, are amongst major players signed up from across the UK
- UK businesses could save up to £76 million by end of 2015
- Sector can cut carbon impact of food and associated packaging waste by 5% target
- Sector can increase the overall rate of food and packaging waste that is being recycled, sent to AD or composted to 70%
- Fourteen UK government departments, Scottish Government and Welsh Government sign up as supporters
- Industry urged to sign up to the Agreement
The agreement aims to cut food and associated packaging waste by 5% (a CO2e reduction of 234,000 tonnes), the equivalent of approximately 100 million meals. It also aims to increase the overall rate of food and packaging waste that is being recycled, sent to AD or composted to 70% (a CO2e reduction of 336,000 tonnes).
Signatories can together expect to achieve great cost savings: if just 25% of the sector signs up, up to £761 million can be saved by the end of 20152, and their CO2 (e) impact reduced by 570,000 tonnes.
The background
The voluntary agreement, which was developed with industry and UK, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland governments, builds on WRAP’s research, and work already being undertaken by the sector to tackle waste. It also delivers on all four governments’ commitment to tackle waste and carbon.
Government support from the UK nations for the voluntary agreement has also been widescale with fourteen UK government departments, Scottish, and Welsh governments all signing up to the agreement to encourage their own caterers to cut waste.
Organisations that opt to sign up to the agreement either join as signatories or supporters, depending on their role within the sector, with signatories reporting directly against the two main targets.
How it works
Of the 69 organisations signed up to the agreement, 28 are signatories and 41 are supporters.
The voluntary agreement has grouped business signatories into ‘Large businesses’, and ‘Smaller businesses’. In general, a business signatory is an organisation which produces and serves their customer a meal/snack.
A supporter is an organisation that works within the sector but is not delivering that meal/snack directly to a customer. For example a business which has catering which is contracted out, packaging manufacturers, food and drink manufacturers, and trade associations.
WRAP will work across the sector and accelerate the good practice that is already going on through collaborative working and behaviour change. WRAP will provide businesses with support to equip them to make these changes happen through online tools, workshops, working groups and expert advice.
The agreement will be overseen by a Steering Group, which will include signatories and supporters. The Group will have responsibility for providing input to voluntary agreement strategy, reviewing progress on delivery against the targets, and sharing good practice.
Widespread support, includes:
Lord Taylor, Defra Minister for Environment, said:
“This new agreement shows these household names are committed to stopping this terrible waste of food. By taking additional steps to reduce the amount of food waste these businesses and organisations will stop the equivalent of 100 million wasted meals going to the bin and save themselves money – a win-win for everyone.”
Ufi Ibrahim, chief executive, British Hospitality Association
“The BHA is committed to working in partnership with government supporting its aim to reduce waste from food and associated packaging on a voluntary basis in hospitality and foodservice businesses.
“The hospitality industry and its supply chain has already made significant progress in improving its environmental performance and we are pleased to be working with DEFRA, the Devolved Administrations and WRAP (WRAP Cymru & Zero Waste Scotland) on this long-term journey to increase waste prevention and recycling rates, helping to save 570,000 tonnes of CO2e over the life of the agreement.”
Mark Linehan, managing director of the Sustainable Restaurant Association, commented:
“This agreement is a great step forward in the battle to reduce food waste in the hospitality sector – a sector that is beginning to meet this considerable challenge. We would urge all operators to embrace this opportunity to reduce their environmental impact, save money and respond to public demand. The SRA particularly welcomes the emphasis on waste prevention. Producing less waste saves operators money and time spent managing the waste.”
Founding signatories and supporters
Signatories | Supporters |
3663 Adnams & Co BaxterStorey BDL Management Ltd Brakes Group Café Spice Namasté Ltd Castell Howell Foods Ltd. Compass Group UK & Ireland Crieff Hydro Ltd Domino’s Pizza UK & Ireland Ltd Fairmont St Andrews Greene King Brewing & Retailing Ltd Greggs plc Houses of Parliament Jurys Inns UK Ltd Lexington Catering Ltd McDonald’s Restaurants Ltd QHotels Red Carnation Hotels Reynolds Sodexo SA Brain & Company Ltd Spirit Pub Company St Austell Brewery Co Ltd The Gleneagles Hotel The Town House Collection The Zetter Group Young & Co’s Brewery plc | British Beer and Pub Association British Frozen Foods Federation British Hospitality Association British Hospitality Association – Scotland British Soft Drinks Association Ltd Cabinet Office Catering Equipment Suppliers Association CoaST (Cornwall Sustainable Tourism) Considerate Hoteliers Association Department for Business, Innovation & Skills Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Department for Communities & Local Governments Department for Culture, Media & Sport Department for Education Department of Energy & Climate Change Department of Health Department for International Development Department for Transport Department for Work & Pensions Environmental Association for Universities and Colleges Foodservice Consultants Society International (FSCI) Food Packaging Association Glasgow Restaurant Association HM Treasury Millennium Stadium plc Ministry of Defence Ministry of Justice National Federation of Fish Fryers Nestle Professional Northern Ireland Tourist Board Plan Zheroes Scottish Government Scottish Tourism Alliance SWR (Specialist Waste Recycling) Sustainable Restaurant Association The Paper Cup Company Unilever Food Solutions Valpak Visit Scotland Welsh Government William Murray Communications |
More information on all of WRAP’s programmes can be found on www.wrap.org.uk