Big drinks brands sign up to WRAP waste pledge

The Courtauld Commitment sets specific targets for grocery stores, suppliers and brands to lessen their carbon impact by reducing packaging waste, increasing rates of recycling and increasing the use of recycled materials in packaging. It also aims to reduce household food and drink waste.

Big names such as Coca-Cola, Procter and Gamble and British Foods have already signed up to the voluntary agreement, which was originally launched in 2005.

Phase Two
Phase two of the Courtauld Commitment was launched in March 2010 to move 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. 

"Since the second phase of the Courtauld Commitment was launched in March 2010, the UK’s leading grocery retail companies have come together to work on solutions to maximise the opportunity for a reduction in waste to the benefit of their businesses and consumers." Dr Richard Swannell, director of Design and Waste Prevention at WRAP, said. "Courtauld Commitment signatories represent the vast majority of leading brands purchased by UK shoppers, which offers huge potential for reducing waste across the UK." 

Courtauld targets
The three Courtauld targets are to reduce the carbon impact of grocery packaging by 10 per cent; to reduce household food and drink waste by four per cent and to reduce traditional grocery product and packaging waste in the grocery supply chain by five per cent.