What is IGD's Food Supply Chain Sustainability Framework?

The Institute of Grocery Distribution (better known as the IGD) has developed a new Food Supply Chain Sustainability Framework together with six major manufacturers and industry stakeholders.

The IGD hopes that this framework can serve as a guide for companies that are looking to improve the sustainability of their operations.

An important aspect of the guidance is resilience. As a sector that relies so heavily on the natural world and the climate, sustainability and climate action is an imperative for food and drinks companies.

Introducing the new framework

The IGD is an impartial organisation that is all about bringing stakeholders from the agrifood supply chain together to tackle industrial scale challenges.

Some of the group's primary outputs are the delivery of evidence-based insights, credible research and strategic foresight to help organisations make well-informed, valuable decisions.

Last year, IGD launched A Net Zero Transition Plan for the UK Food System, a roadmap developed in partnership with WRAP and EY.

The Food Supply Chain Sustainability Framework is a natural progression of this work.

The framework is designed to help these companies move past the planning stage and take meaningful, sustainable actions.

To develop the framework, IGD has worked alongside six food manufacturers:

• Bakkavor
• The Billington Group
• The Compleat Food Group
• Greencore
• Premier Foods
• Samworth Brothers

"As a group of manufacturers working with IGD, we see this framework and guidance as a first step to supporting sustainability commitments as part of joint business planning, making it easier for procurement teams and both businesses in a commercial supply chain relationship," the manufacturers have said in a joint statement.

"We hope next year to expand this to other sectors."

What does this new framework address?

The framework helps businesses monitor where they are in their journeys toward sustainability, as well as where they want to end up.

It follows seven sustainability priorities which are relevant to all manufacturers, their retailers and their suppliers.

For IGD, this kind of industry-wide guidance is essential, simply because the food and drink sector is so vulnerable to the impacts of climate change.

In fact, a recent IGD and EY report suggests that, should the UK food sector fail to act now, price rises of around £2.6bn (US$3.4bn) will be passed onto British consumers in the next few years.

Climate change is already disrupting food supply chains around the world and driving inflation. Irregular weather patterns caused by climate change affect crop growth significantly.

Although manufacturers often share common goals when it comes to establishing resilience, their methods for achieving these results were often contrasting and spreading supplier resources thin.

Sustainability is not yet fully integrated across procurement processes, which makes standardisation difficult.

Through creating partnerships and streamlined solutions, the food industry can ensure positive growth and achievement of its sustainability targets. As a result, IGD worked alongside the manufacturing group to build this unification and sustainability guidance.

"We recognise that creating a sustainable, healthy and resilient UK food system demands greater cross industry collaboration and practical action," says Kirsty Saddler, Director of Health & Sustainability Programmes at IGD. 

"The launch of A Net Zero Transition Plan provided the technical evidence needed, but over the last year we've worked to move that forward into action."

"The introduction of the Food Supply Chain Sustainability Framework is an important step in driving collaborative progress and while it has been developed with manufacturers, we believe this can support supplier and customer relationships across every part of the supply chain, to reduce emissions.

"Together, we are building the pathways and the confidence needed to invest in a more meaningful, sustainable change for our industry and our communities."

A roadmap for implementation

The framework provides guidance on top priorities for suppliers, manufacturers and retailers. These topics are commonly used and relied upon within the food and drinks industry. As some are not relevant to every supplier, the framework should be used as guidance for businesses to align within their operations, working alongside suppliers to discuss the main priorities.

The seven priority topics within the framework are:

• Climate: Net Zero
• Deforestation & Conversion
• Water
• Nature
• Packaging
• Food Waste
• Human Rights (FNET)

The framework enables businesses to identify suppliers with material impact and large climate risks. Suppliers can then carry out self-assessments before working with customers to identify priorities and solutions. The framework enables the cross-supply chain collaboration needed to create developments and sustainability solution integration.

Through utilising the framework, the food industry can see how to build supply chain resilience through prioritisation, collaboration and active engagement. In doing so, the food supply chain will become more protected with a positive environmental impact, helping create long-lasting value.