“The British Retail Consortium (BRC) and its members have been involved since the very first Courtauld Commitment that began in 2005, and have helped to develop and shape the Courtauld Commitment 2025, building on the previous agreements. It is important to stress the history behind it – a series of agreements that have resulted in real change.
“Courtauld 2025 has been developed with industry and consists of challenging but realistic targets. It also provides a safe space for collaboration and best practice sharing. In its first 6 months alone Courtauld 2025 had reached 95% of UK food retailers by market share. We feel it is important to promote Courtauld 2025, and its ambition, and to that end the BRC is an engagement signatory and sits on the steering group.
“Retailers are at the heart of the UK food waste debate and accept that they have a shared responsibility to drive it down across the food chain. Courtauld 2025 provides a framework for retail to work with partners across the food chain to reach a shared goal. Courtauld 2025 sets a benchmark to aim for and, in some cases exceed. Once a business signs up to Courtauld 2025, those targets are seen as binding and the retail industry will be held to account if the Courtauld 2025 targets are not met.
“Courtauld 2025 is world leading and puts the UK on track to meet the UN Sustainable Development Goal 12.3. We would encourage stakeholders to use Courtauld 2025 as their baseline and challenge the industry to buy into it and then go beyond it.”