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The new UK coalition government showed its support for Courtauld
Commitment 2 recently, when new Environment Minister, Lord
Henley, attended the inaugural meeting of signatories in London.
The meeting was organised by WRAP (Waste & Resources
Action Programme) which manages the voluntary agreement on
behalf of the UK Government.
As well as founding signatories, new companies to sign up
to the commitment also attended - including Burton Foods,
Ferrero UK Ltd, Greencore, Heineken UK, Moy Park Ltd and Northern
Ireland’s first company to sign up - Dale Farm.
At the closed meeting, signatories took part in WRAP-led
workshops to identify barriers and solutions to achieve the
three targets that form the second phase of the commitment.
Lord Henley said - "The Courtauld Commitment is a great
example of government and some of Britain’s leading companies
working together to optimise packaging and reduce food waste.
I’m delighted to see these new signatories joining those taking
up the challenge of Phase 2 of the Commitment. I would encourage
all retailers and manufacturers to think about and act to
reduce waste.”
Referring to leaders from the grocery retail sector as "innovative
and inspiring", he congratulated the vsignatories for
taking the opportunity to turn environmental pressure into
competitive advantage and playing their part in the new green
economy.
He also recognised some of the challenges that lay ahead
- including the relationship between reducing food waste and
reducing packaging - and encouraged signatories to spread
the word to ensure that "everyone in society understands
the problem and feels they can be part of the solution".
“This government is right behind you - the Prime Minister
has pledged that this will be the greenest Government ever
and waste is one of the biggest environmental challenges facing
this country. We must all work together, exploring ideas,
sharing innovations and successes,” he added.
Twenty-nine major retailers and brand owners were the founding
signatories when Courtauld Commitment 2 launched in March. The
latest companies to join the initiative bring the total number
of signatories to 36, after M&S formalised their involvement
just days after the official launch.
Using 2009 data and 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.
Liz Goodwin, WRAP’s CEO, said that partnership working would
become increasingly important. “As you all know, the
second phase of Courtauld looks at what can be achieved across
the entire retail supply chain. In other words, we have to
recognise that the biggest changes come when we consider the
entire lifecycle of a product and its packaging.
“That means working together to make changes from the point
of production right through to the point of household impact
- partnership in the truest sense.”
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