Ambition 2030: Can the FDF Make the UK's Food Sustainable?

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The Food and Drink Federation's new sustainability strategy sets a course for the UK's grocery sector | Credit: FDF
The Food & Drink Federation (FDF) has unveiled its short-term plan to tackle climate change, nature loss, food security, food waste & packaging pollution

The UK's food and drink manufacturing sector is stepping up efforts to address the growing environmental challenges facing the industry.

The Food and Drink Federation (FDF), the voice of the country's largest manufacturing segment, has launched an ambitious new sustainability strategy to guide its members towards a more sustainable future.

Titled Ambition 2030, the strategy outlines five key pillars of action: achieving net zero emissions, restoring nature, sourcing sustainable commodities, reducing food waste and improving packaging.

The plan is a response to the mounting pressures facing the sector, from the impacts of climate change on food production to growing consumer demand for environmentally-friendly products.

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Targeting net zero

The food and drink industry accounts for nearly a quarter of the UK's total carbon emissions, making it a crucial player in the country's transition to a low-carbon economy.

The FDF's net zero ambition aims to halve emissions across the entire agri-food supply chain by 2030, a target the organisation says will require close cooperation between manufacturers, farmers and policymakers.

At the entry level, the FDF is encouraging members to measure their Scope 1, 2 and 3 emissions, set science-based targets, and develop high-level decarbonisation roadmaps.

As they progress, companies should implement actions to reduce direct emissions from operations, such as through heat decarbonisation, renewable energy and transport optimisation.

The more advanced stage involves measuring and reducing indirect (Scope 3) emissions, particularly from ingredients.

An infographic from an FDF whitepaper, detailing the carbon lifecycle of the agricultural industry | Credit: FDF

Restoring nature and sourcing sustainable commodities

Beyond emissions reductions, the strategy also focuses on restoring nature and halting deforestation and conversion linked to commodity sourcing.

With more than 100 countries now pledging to end deforestation by 2030, the FDF is urging its members to develop sustainable sourcing policies and work with suppliers to eliminate forest-risk ingredients from their supply chains.

At the entry level, the FDF recommends that companies build traceability and understanding of their raw material sourcing, assessing which commodities carry the highest risk of being linked to deforestation.

They should then set targets to source 100% of these key commodities from verified deforestation-free supply chains by 2030.

More advanced members can engage directly with suppliers, set procurement targets and finance nature restoration projects in key sourcing regions.

The FDF aligns itself with the EU's stance on deforestation and wants to see an end to extractive, destructive agricultural processes

Reducing food waste and improving packaging

The strategy also addresses the issue of food waste, which the FDF says accounts for 8-10% of global greenhouse gas emissions.

The organisation has set a target of halving per capita food waste by 2030, in line with the UN's Sustainable Development Goal 12.3.

At the entry level, the FDF recommends that companies measure and track food waste within their own operations, set targets and develop action plans to reduce it.

As they progress, they can trial initiatives like recipe reformulation and collaborate across the supply chain to support household food waste reduction.

Packaging is the final pillar of the strategy, with the FDF aiming to contribute to a 'world-class' recycling system in the UK.

The organisation is calling for policy changes to support a producer-led, not-for-profit scheme that will increase recycling rates and reduce the environmental impact of packaging.

The FDF wants to halve food waste by 2030

An industry-wide sustainability plan

With the food and drink sector facing mounting pressure to address its environmental footprint, the FDF's Ambition 2030 strategy represents a comprehensive, industry-wide plan to secure a sustainable future.

The organisation will support its members by providing guidance, sharing best practices and advocating on their behalf with policymakers and other stakeholders.

The FDF represents manufacturers, retailers and producers across the industry and many of the sector's key figures have come forward to express support and solidarity with the new strategy. 

Andre Burger, General Manager Foods at Unilever UK & Ireland, says: "I very much welcome the Food & Drink Federation’s (FDF) flagship Ambition 2030 strategy, which highlights the important work going on in the food and drink sector."

Andre Burger, General Manager Foods at Unilever UK & Ireland | Credit: Andre Burger

The FDF plans to track progress against each pillar of the strategy, utilising existing reporting frameworks and supplementing it with case studies.

As the policy landscape and supporting initiatives evolve, the FDF will revise and update the strategy to ensure it remains relevant and ambitious.

Karen Betts, CEO of the FDF, speaking at the launch of the FDF's Ambition 2030 strategy | Credit: FDF

At the unveiling of the strategy in October 2024, FDF CEO Karen Betts said: "I believe it’s through ambition that we’ll retain the focus, the drive, the dogged determination, the optimism we’ll need to succeed in the face of wicked problems to which we have, right now, only incomplete answers.

"Because the world is rapidly and visibly changing around us – as witnessed earlier this month in the devastating hurricanes that hit Florida – and there’s no time to lose."

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