Can WWF’s ‘critical friend’ approach get mults to deliver on climate?

With climate protestors busy chaining themselves to landmarks and blockading motorways, it may seem surprising the arguably most famous environmental group of all is taking a very different approach. In its work with the supermarkets, the WWF is encouraging their efforts on sustainability, rather than slamming their failures.

It’s arguably a particularly surprising tack in the wake of the landmark promises made by supermarkets at COP26 to halve their environmental impact by 2030. A year later, supermarket supply chain emissions have actually got worse.

Yet the WWF – having produced what it calls the most comprehensive picture yet of the food and drink sector’s impact on the environment – claims its approach of being a “critical friend” of the industry is most likely to get results.

So can the approach get better results from supermarkets? And is there enough transparency in their reporting as the world faces apocalyptic warnings about climate change from COP27 in Egypt this week?

WWF’s progress report is the first one since Tesco, Sainsbury’s, Waitrose, Co-op, and M&S pledged in Glasgow last year to slash supply chain emissions, reduce deforestation and increase sales of plant-based foods.

This week they made commitments to accelerate progress, after the report found there was a “long road ahead” if the targets were to be met.

Although Scope 1 and 2 emissions have fallen by 4% and 43% respectively since the pledges were made, Scope 3 emissions from the wider supply chain – responsible for 97% of their total GHG emissions – have risen by 5%.

Perhaps even more damningly, the WWF says none of the original signatories have implemented policies that fully align with their stated commitment to reduce GHG emissions in line with limiting warming to 1.5°C.

‘Good progress’

Plus, almost 50% of the retail sector hasn’t actually signed up to the pledges. The report included case studies from Morrisons, Aldi, Lidl and Ocado, none of which were original signatories.

Yet Sarah Wakefield, head of food transformation at WWF, takes a glass-half-full approach. “The thing that really struck us when the data was coming through is the areas where we have seen great industry collaboration and focus is where we’ve had really good progress,” she says.

“For the likes of in-store and manufacturing food waste, palm oil, packaging, where there has been a lot of customer focus, we’ve seen evidence that we really can turn the dial.”

For example, the report found 62% of palm oil in retailer supply chains is now from verified deforestation and conversion-free sources. However, in soy, that figure is a paltry 6%.

“Now we are starting from a low base on a lot of these areas and we do have a long way to go in just eight years,” concedes Wakefield. “But we are trying to almost be a critical friend to the industry, to catalyse and accelerate progress.”

WWF says it is determined to avoid turning its progress report into a scorecard.“As you unanonymise this data you get a league table,” it says. “It’s very important this isn’t a league table, which is why we are doing it at an industry level.”

Yet WWF admits there is still much to do to develop a system of consistent metrics that will enable retailers to transparently report on their progress –let alone that of their extended supply chains.

As The Grocer revealed earlier this year, Wrap is also in talks with industry about such a reporting protocol. So far it has shied away from calls for mandatory reporting, leaving campaigners questioning just how accountable the industry is willing to be.

But Wakefield says another reason for optimism is the high-level engagement in its retailer partnerships. “Our work with retailers is not just getting a group of sustainability heads together. We convene at a CEO level,” she says.

“These are very serious conversations and very serious commitments. We really hope more retailers will come on board and that next year the results will be different.”

Come next year’s COP, all eyes will be on how much that hope has been realised.