Courtauld Commitment 2
What is the Courtauld Commitment Phase 2?
The Courtauld Commitment is a voluntary agreement aimed at improving resource efficiency and reducing the carbon and wider environmental impact of the grocery retail sector.
Phase 2 follows the original Courtauld Commitment (Phase 1), launched in 2005. It 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.
At the launch of the Commitment on 4th March 2010, 29 major retailers and brand owners had already pledged their commitment to this voluntary agreement.
The three new targets are:
- Packaging - to reduce the weight, increase recycling rates and increase the recycled content of all grocery packaging, as appropriate. Through these measures the aim is to reduce the carbon impact of this grocery packaging by 10%
- Household food and waste - to reduce UK household food and drink wastes by 4%
- Supply chain product and packaging waste - to reduce traditional grocery product and packaging waste in the grocery supply chain by 5% - this includes both solid and liquid wastes.
Courtauld has succeeded in stopping growth in packaging despite increases in both sales and population in the UK. Some 500,000 tonnes less packaging was used over the period 2005 - 2009.
To hear what WRAP has to say about the Phase 2 Agreement, please visit their website.
