F&B sector accounts for 35% of UK emissions, report finds

In the UK, the total carbon footprint of food and drink systems is equivalent to around 35% of its total greenhouse gas emissions (GHG) emissions, according to a new report by Wrap. 

The findings are part of a report which aims to set out the pathway to a 50% reduction in GHG emissions for the food and drink sector. 

The report aims to set out the scale of GHG emissions reductions that could come from different types of interventions, “such as eliminating deforestation from supply chains, decarbonising energy, decarbonising transport and preventing food waste”. 

It found that there has been an absolute reduction of around 8% in GHG emissions associated with the UK’s food and drink system between 2015 and 2019, with around 80% of this reduction is due to decarbonisation of the UK’s electricity grid. 

Wrap said that a 50% reduction by 2030 is “possible”, largely through “meeting existing policy, business and sector-level commitments and targets”. 

Marcus Gover, CEO of Wrap, said: “Wrap has set out the tangible reductions that can be made simply by focussing on food and drink as a key part of climate action. A 50% reduction in the years to 2030 is possible, but we need action as much as talk.”