FDF's environmental ambition: Progress report 2018
The UK’s Food and Drink Federation (FDF) has published its 2018 environmental progress report. FDF members report a 53% reduction in their greenhouse gas emissions from energy use in manufacturing operations since 1990, and a 39% reduction in water consumption since 2008.
The report also describes progress on other goals, including reducing food waste, developing more sustainable plastic packaging, and reducing food miles. The measurement of greenhouse gas emissions does not include the emissions associated with producing food ingredients - only emissions from energy use during manufacturing.
Case studies of environmental initiatives from FDF members are available on the FDF’s website, here.
Read the report, FDF's Environmental Ambition: Progress Report 2018, here. See also the Foodsource resource What conclusions can we draw and what further research questions need answering?
Europe is the world's second-smallest continent by surface area, covering just over 10 million square kilometres or 6.8% of the global land area, but it is the third-most populous continent after Asia and Africa, with a population of around 740 million people or about 11% of the world's population. Its climate is heavily affected by warm Atlantic currents that temper winters and summers on much of the continent. In the European Union, farmers represent only 4.7% of the working population, yet manage nearly half of its land area.