The sector plays a major part in our economy, but also in resource use and waste production. According to Defra, food & drink is responsible for:
- about 10% of the industrial and commercial waste stream
- c. 10% of all industrial use of the public water supply
- some 14% of energy consumption by UK businesses
- 7 million tonnes of carbon emissions per year
- 25% of all HGV vehicle kilometres in the UK
- the provision of food choices and information that will assist consumers to adopt more healthy and balanced diets
- 12.5% of the UK workforce.
The FISS encourages food & drink companies to engage more deeply with government programmes that can help them achieve more sustainable growth, including Envirowise, Carbon Trust and WRAP. In particular, it challenges companies to make the following positive changes:
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