UK: FDF praises “milestone” food and drink decarbonization action plan

13 Oct 2017 --- The UK Food and Drink Federation (FDF) has welcomed the publication of the Food and Drink Joint Industry-Government Industrial Decarbonisation and Energy Efficiency Roadmap Action Plan. The body which represents the UK's largest manufacturing sector says the Action Plan, which was recently published alongside the Clean Growth Strategy, builds on the points already set out in the 2015 Food and Drink Sector – Industrial Decarbonization and Energy Efficiency Roadmap to 2050.

FDF has pledged to actively collaborate with Government in order to reduce carbon emissions to contribute to the UK's challenging 2050 decarbonization targets. The voluntary plan aims to help support existing cross-sector and company commitments and actions, in order to improve energy use productivity and decarbonization. 

At the same time, it identifies a number of specific opportunities which will make a substantive contribution to emissions reductions and improve energy use productivity.

The FDF says the publication of the plan is an important milestone in helping its members achieve the target of a 55 percent reduction in emissions by 2025. This target comes from a 1990 baseline, as set out in FDF's Ambition 2025 and its longer-term ambition to cut emission by 80 percent by 2050.

“While this is a promising first step, in order for us to deliver our 2050 Roadmap ambitions, we must continue to work closely with Government and partners to ensure long-term policy and regulatory stability, deliver secure energy supplies at competitive prices and embrace the concept of a circular economy to maximize resource efficiency,” says Ian Wright CBE, Director General of FDF.

“We will continue to work closely with Government and other stakeholders in order to take these actions forward and to secure a sector deal for food and drink as part of the Government's Industrial Strategy.”