Wrap, the British climate NGO behind some of the largest sustainability initiatives in the food industry, is launching a new EU division.
Wrap has joined forces with the International Food Waste Coalition (IFWC) to form Wrap EU, an organisation that will focus on driving change across European food systems and tackling unsustainable production and consumption in plastics, fashion and textiles.
The new group will initially target food waste across the hospitality and foodservice sector and more widely along the value chain, and only then expand to focus on sustainable fashion and plastic pollution.
Members of Wrap EU will include Accor Group, BWH Hotels France, Club Med, Compass Group, Elior, Kitro, Louvre Hotels Group, Leanpath, Orbisk, Sodexo and Winnow.
Currently, the foodservice sector generates food waste worth more than €35bn, 11% of the total food waste in Europe, according to Eurostat.
Members of the IFWC – which represent around 60% of the EU contract catering market, and around 15% of the hotels market – are already working to achieve a 50% reduction by 2030, with at least half of members’ sites already engaged in the food waste reporting process.
“Tackling climate change requires global collaboration, and nurturing roots in the EU allows Wrap to influence, inform and invest in key programmes that will bring circular living into every boardroom and every home,” said Wrap CEO Harriet Lamb.
“Wrap has a strong track record collaborating with partners to tackle food waste across the EU, as does IFWC – so this is a perfect teaming-up to increase our collective impact. I am delighted to once again have Wrap firmly on the EU map.”
Wrap is escalating global efforts in a bid to have more influence in environmental policy against a backdrop of growing regulation in the European Union – including new anti-deforestation rules and supply chain due diligence requirements.
Its efforts in the UK over the years have included the Plastics Pact and the Courtauld Commitment 2030, although some have lost steam in recent years as industry has missed crucial targets to reduce packaging and food waste.
Similarly, efforts to fight plastic consumption by the government, including the deposit return scheme and extended producer responsibility scheme, have all faced multiple delays and great backlash from industry.
But Wrap said the EU had “leading climate change targets” and this would be an opportunity for the group to contribute to achieving them.
The EU will be Wrap’s third base outside the UK, alongside Wrap Asia-Pacific in Australia and Wrap in the Americas, based in Washington DC.
Stephane Leroux, executive director at the IFWC, added: “I am really looking forward to working with the Wrap team to add value to IFWC members and to expand the programme to others across the EU.
“We have a huge opportunity here to help businesses save money, help the member states hit the proposed mandatory targets on food waste reduction, and mitigate against the enormous environmental cost of food waste.”
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