Progress is happening, but not fast enough in the areas with the highest opportunity. Here’s what our data says, what’s working, and how the sector can close the gap by 2030.
UK food-related emissions are down by 14% since 2015, driven largely by cleaner energy and efficiency. But the areas with the biggest levers for change are lagging, including agriculture, household food waste and food packaging. The current pace of change is less than 2% reduction in emissions per year. It’s not enough to meet our shared goals, with a current 36% gap to the UK Food and Drink Pact’s 2030 target and even further to reach net zero by 2050.
We know there’s strength in collaboration and by focusing on priority areas with the largest opportunities for impact, we can take collective action to scale what works, close the emission gaps and secure a net-zero future for our food system.
The Net Zero Transition Plan for the UK Food System
The food system is responsible for around a quarter of the UK’s carbon footprint. It’s one of the nation’s biggest climate polluters, and also one of the most powerful levers for change – not only for our planet, but for people too.
The Net Zero Transition Plan for the UK Food System, launched in November 2024 with IGD and EY, was created to give the food and drink sector a shared compass; a single point of focus to make progress towards a future-proofed, net zero food system.
Food system net zero progress at a glance
Inside our progress report
- Latest emissions picture: An in-depth read on where reductions have occurred, and where they haven’t, across production, retail, households, packaging, transport, energy and refrigerants.
- Six priority action areas: One year on from the Net Zero Transition Plan, we spotlight bold initiatives, what they mean for businesses now, and what’s coming next.
- Supply and demand-side opportunities: Progress on abatement opportunities and why demand-side action is essential to close the gap left by supply-side progress.
- Essential enablers: How standardised data, common standards and methodologies and better systems are unlocking credible measurement and action.
- Policy direction of travel: Signals for agriculture and clean power that will shape how businesses plan and invest.
What your business can do to progress towards net zero
As the convenor of the UK Food & Drink Pact, the UK Plastics Pact and its successor the UK Packaging Pact, and programmes such as the Water Roadmap and LED4Food, WRAP is working with industry to turn evidence into action. Our collective action is working, but to reach a net zero food system quickly, collaboration needs to scale. We’re calling on food and drink businesses to reduce food system emissions by:
- Joining 200 other organisations in the UK Food and Drink Pact to drive down the 9.5% of emissions from household food waste, standardise farm and product data for accurate, actionable insights, and support sustainable agriculture in your supply chains. Speak to us about the UK Food and Drink Pact
- Joining the next phase of the UK Packaging Pact to tackle the recent 13% increase in emissions from food packaging by reducing raw material use, driving up recycled content and scaling reuse in food and drink packaging. Speak to us about the UK Packaging Pact
- Making healthier, plant-rich diets the easier, more affordable choice for consumers by reviewing your organisation against the IGD's Framework for population diet change.
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UK Food System - A journey towards net zero: A Net Zero Transition Plan update
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