WRAP (Waste & Resources Action Programme) is a British registered charity. It works with businesses, individuals and communities to achieve a

circular economy A circular economy (also referred to as circularity or CE) is a model of resource Production (economics), production and Resource consumption, consumption in any economy that involves sharing, leasing, Reuse, reusing, repairing, refurbishing, and ...

, by helping them reduce waste, develop sustainable products and use resources in an efficient way.

History

WRAP was established in 2000 as a

company limited by guarantee A company limited by guarantee (CLG) is a type of company where the liability of members in the event the company is wound up is limited to a (typically very small) amount listed in the company's articles or constitution. Most have no share ca ...

and receives funding from the

Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs The Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) is a Departments of the Government of the United Kingdom, ministerial department of the government of the United Kingdom. It is responsible for environmental quality, environmenta ...

, the

Northern Ireland Executive The Northern Ireland Executive (Irish language, Irish: ''Feidhmeannas Thuaisceart Éireann'', Ulster Scots dialect, Ulster Scots: ''Norlin Airlan Executive'') is the devolution, devolved government of Northern Ireland, an administrative branc ...

, Zero Waste Scotland, the

Welsh Government The Welsh Government ( ) is the Executive (government), executive arm of the Welsh devolution, devolved government of Wales. The government consists of Cabinet secretary, cabinet secretaries and Minister of State, ministers. It is led by the F ...

and the

European Union The European Union (EU) is a supranational union, supranational political union, political and economic union of Member state of the European Union, member states that are Geography of the European Union, located primarily in Europe. The u ...

Initiatives

WRAP developed the "Recycle Now", " Love Food, Hate Waste" and "Love your Clothes" initiatives. These aim to help businesses, local authorities, community groups and individuals recycle and reuse more, and reduce food waste.

Voluntary agreements

Over recent years it has also brokered a number of voluntary agreements with business including: *The construction sector – with more than 700 companies succeeding in halving their waste to landfill by 2012 *The retail sector – through the Courtauld Commitments, food and drink organisations are working together to reduce their burden on the environment. *The clothing industry – through the 'Sustainable Clothing Action Plan', working together to reduce the clothing industry footprint through

sustainable design Environmentally sustainable design (also called environmentally conscious design, eco-design, etc.) is the philosophy of designing physical objects, the built environment, and services to comply with the principles of ecological sustainability ...

, reuse and recycling. *The plastics sector – through th
UK Plastics Pact
a collaborative voluntary agreement towards creating a Circular Economy for plastics in the United Kingdom, including targets of eliminating problematic and unnecessary plastic packaging items and polymers, and increasing the recyclability, reusability and overall recycled content in plastic packaging.

The Courtauld Commitment

The Courtauld Commitments were initiated in 2005 at an event at the Courtauld Gallery in London.

Courtauld Commitment one

During 2005-2009 the Courtauld Commitment looked particularly at food packaging, and brought food waste onto the agenda.

Courtauld Commitment two

During 2010-2012 the Courtauld Commitment sought to go beyond reducing primary packaging to include secondary and tertiary packaging, and supply chain waste. It advanced from assessing packaging by weight to considering its carbon impact.

Third phase

From 2013 to 2015, food and drink organisations worked together to reduce

food Food is any substance consumed by an organism for Nutrient, nutritional support. Food is usually of plant, animal, or Fungus, fungal origin and contains essential nutrients such as carbohydrates, fats, protein (nutrient), proteins, vitamins, ...

packaging Packaging is the science, art and technology of enclosing or protecting products for distribution, storage, sale, and use. Packaging also refers to the process of designing, evaluating, and producing packages. Packaging can be described as a coo ...

and supply chain waste. Signatories to the Courtauld Commitment include industry leaders such as

Tesco Tesco plc () is a British multinational groceries and general merchandise retailer headquartered in the United Kingdom at its head offices in Welwyn Garden City, England. The company was founded by Jack Cohen (businessman), Sir Jack Cohen in ...

Sainsbury's J Sainsbury plc, trading as Sainsbury's, is a British supermarket and the second-largest chain of supermarkets in the United Kingdom. Founded in 1869 by John James Sainsbury with a shop in Drury Lane, London, the company was the largest UK r ...

Asda Asda Stores Limited (), trading as Asda and often styled as ASDA, is a British supermarket and petrol station chain. Its headquarters is in Leeds, England. The company was incorporated as Associated Dairies and Farm Stores in 1949. It expanded ...

and big brands such as

Unilever Unilever PLC () is a British multinational consumer packaged goods company headquartered in London, England. It was founded on 2 September 1929 following the merger of Dutch margarine producer Margarine Unie with British soap maker Lever B ...

and

Nestlé Nestlé S.A. ( ) is a Swiss multinational food and drink processing conglomerate corporation headquartered in Vevey, Switzerland. It has been the largest publicly held food company in the world, measured by revenue and other metrics, since 20 ...

. The European Union praised phase one as an example of best practice. The phase three targets are: *Reduce household food and drink waste by 5% – this represents a 9% reduction in real terms to counter the expected increase in food purchased. *Reduce traditional grocery ingredient, product and packaging waste in the grocery

supply chain A supply chain is a complex logistics system that consists of facilities that convert raw materials into finished products and distribute them to end consumers or end customers, while supply chain management deals with the flow of goods in distri ...

by 3% – signatories will have to make an 8% reduction in real terms to counter the expected increase in production and sales. *Improve

design through the supply chain to maximise recycled content as appropriate, improve recyclability and deliver product protection to reduce food waste, while ensuring there is no increase in the carbon impact of packaging – signatories will have to make a 3% reduction in real terms to counter the expected sales increase.

Courtauld Commitment 2025

During 2015-2018, commitments sought to address the sustainability of food & drink production and consumption. The agreement looked at food waste, water and greenhouse gas emissions.

Courtauld Commitment 2030

As of 2023, the current phase of the agreement (Courtauld Commitment 2030), encourages collaborative action across the entire UK food chain aiming for reductions in greenhouse gas emissions, food waste and water stress.

Main business areas

These commitments fall within WRAP's four main business areas: food and drink waste reduction, sustainable electricals, sustainable textiles and resource management.

International

WRAP is extending its work internationally, having recently worked in partnership with the

United Nations Environment Programme The United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) is responsible for coordinating responses to environmental issues within the United Nations system. It was established by Maurice Strong, its first director, after the Declaration of the United Nati ...

(UNEP) and the UN's

Food and Agriculture Organization The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations; . (FAO) is a specialized agency of the United Nations that leads international efforts to defeat hunger and improve nutrition and food security. Its Latin motto, , translates ...

(FAO) to develop a global food waste guidance tool, part of the UNEP ''Think.Eat.Save'' initiative.

External links

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Waste and Resources Action Programme British companies established in 2000 Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Food waste in the United Kingdom Private companies limited by guarantee of the United Kingdom Waste organizations Waste management companies of the United Kingdom 2000 establishments in the United Kingdom Business services companies established in 2000