Tesco and World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) have announced a long-term partnership with the aim of reducing the environmental impact of the average UK shopping basket by 50%.
The partnership aims to improve the sustainability of food while ensuring it remains affordable for all.
Working together, Tesco and WWF want to address issues such as climate change and biodiversity loss, focusing on three key areas of activity:
• Helping customers eat more sustainable diets
• Restoring nature in food production
• Eliminating food and packaging waste from the sector
The partnership comes as new research by the two organisations reveals that demand for sustainable food is high, with nearly 80% of shoppers wanting supermarkets to do more to offer food that is sourced in a responsible, sustainable way.
However, it also showed there are still obstacles deterring shoppers, with 59% confused about which foods count as ‘sustainable’ and 75% thinking cost is a barrier.
Dave Lewis, Tesco Group CEO said: “Our Little Helps Plan illustrates what we are doing to address the most significant environmental and social challenges facing our shoppers, colleagues, suppliers, and communities.
“I’m pleased we’re making progress, but we want to go further to achieve our goal of providing customers with affordable, healthy, sustainable food.
“Partnering with WWF will help us make our customers’ shopping baskets more sustainable. Our shared ambition is to reduce the environmental impact of the average shopping basket by half.”
Tanya Steele, WWF UK CEO, added: “Our flagship Living Planet Report 2018 recently revealed that the world is under threat like never before – we’re destroying forests, choking the oceans with plastic, decimating wildlife and causing devastating changes to our climate.
“We have the power to not only stop, but to reverse the damage, if we act now. That is why we are delighted to be partnering with Tesco, to help create a food system that doesn’t cost the Earth.”
The partnership will play a key role in delivering Tesco’s existing sustainability commitments set out in its Little Helps Plan.
