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Supermarkets have promised to halve their environmental impact in the next decade.
Tesco, Waitrose, Co-op, Sainsbury’s, and M&S said they would act with the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) to defeat natural destruction from the food waste and packaging they generate.
Under a pledge, they will halve the global warming that food shopping causes, including the impact of agriculture and seafood in our baskets. Changing the way we shop and the way our food is wrapped and presented to us.
The chief executives of the supermarkets, which together serve more than half of UK food shoppers, said in a joint statement: “We recognise that a future without nature is a future without food. By 2030 we need to halt the loss of nature.”
WWF chief executive Tanya Steele said it would not be possible to stop climate change and keep global warming below 1.5C without dealing with global food supplies.
“Food production is one of the biggest threats to our planet, and we will only tackle the climate and nature emergency if food retailers play their part,” she added.
“The promises these CEOs have made are game-changing, and we hope other food retailers will follow in their footsteps so that every shopper can be confident that the products they buy aren’t fuelling the climate crisis.”
The food sector is accountable for more than 60 percent of the lost nature in the world and 30 percent of total climate emissions, so reducing its influence can be a vital step towards combating climate change.
The food industry emits 17.3 billion metric tonnes of carbon dioxide every year, about 19 times more than commercial planes. Agriculture also plays a large part, with a quarter of the world’s greenhouse gas coming from forestry and other land use – and experts say the way food is grown and consumed needs reforming.
