COP31 – WRAP calls for global action to scale food waste prevention

Catherine David, CEO of WRAP, will lead a delegation to Türkiye for COP31 and moderate the opening food waste panel, Preventing Food Waste: From Supply Chains to National Action, at the Zero Waste Pavilion in the Blue Zone on 9 November, 10:00am.

As global leaders gather for COP31, global environmental NGO WRAP is calling on governments to accelerate action on food waste, one of the most immediate, cost-effective and impactful ways to cut greenhouse gas emissions, strengthen food security and deliver economic benefits.

With proven solutions already delivering results around the world, WRAP will join international partners at COP31 to champion greater investment, stronger national commitments and collective action to scale what works.

Catherine David, CEO WRAP, “At a time when businesses and households are facing rising costs, and governments are searching for solutions to climate and economic challenges, we have a huge opportunity hiding in plain sight: preventing food from becoming waste. By acting to prevent food waste, we can put money back into people’s pockets and reduce the pressure on our precious land and natural resources. We know what works, and many countries around the world are already acting, but we need to scale this.”

The WRAP-convened Food Pact Network connects more than 920 organisations across ten national and regional Food Pacts, bringing together businesses, governments and partners via locally led and globally connected action. The Food Pact Network has already stopped 220,000 tonnes of food from going to waste, preventing 680,000 tonnes CO₂e from entering the atmosphere.

The Network has redistributed more than 2.7 million tonnes of surplus food via charitable and commercial outlets – the equivalent of 7 billion meals – ensuring surplus food benefits local communities.

Food waste prevention is a rare opportunity where everyone benefits. Businesses cut costs, improve efficiency and strengthen resilience; households save money; communities benefit from food redistribution and the planet experiences fewer emissions and less pressure on natural resources.

Every year, more than one billion tonnes of food is lost or wasted globally, contributing to around 8–10% of global greenhouse gas emissions. This food goes to waste while more than 780 million people face hunger and costs the global economy around USD $1 trillion. With proven solutions already tested and implemented, WRAP is calling on governments to strengthen national food waste reduction plans, integrate food loss and waste into their climate commitments and invest in proven solutions that can deliver impact at scale.

WRAP has arranged and is featuring in a series of high-profile events around food waste, with particular attention on its contribution to methane generation – a super pollutant around 28 times more potent than carbon dioxide.

One year on from the UK becoming a Food Waste Breakthrough Country Champion, WRAP is hosting the Methane Takeaway: Climate Action & Resilience – Circular Food Systems with Defra and Welsh Government, 11 Nov at the UK Pavilion, Blue Zone from 09:30am. Drawing on expertise from the UK, Wales and South Africa, this seminar will demonstrate the practical approaches preventing food waste and limiting the volume of methane entering the atmosphere.

Participants will be able to order from WRAP’s Methane Takeaway and help halve food waste, and take methane off the menu.

To be held at Ted Countdown House and hosted by Global Methane Hub, the IKEA Foundation and The Global FoodBanking Network, WRAP is a key speaker at A climate solution too big to waste: Investing in food’s full potential. With Zero Waste the key theme of COP31, this will show proven solutions to food loss and waste, explore the benefits on food security and methane emission mitigation, and discuss the financing needed to scale them. This event will include food loss and waste leaders from across sectors and feature a major announcement from IKEA foundation.

The Global Action Drive (GAD) brings together international non-governmental organizations with a shared agenda to accelerate action on food loss and waste. The group, which includes the Global FoodBanking Network, World Resources Institute and WRAP is calling on the COP31 Presidency and global leaders to deliver the following actions:

Formally recognize the urgency and opportunity of advancing food loss and waste reductions as a cross-cutting climate solution, aligned with the priority focus on Zero Waste and Food Security at COP31, and beyond.
Turn existing global and national commitments on food loss and waste into concrete policies, implementation road maps and reduction targets backed by political will, on the basis of available science, good policy practices, and solid monitoring and evaluation frameworks.
Include food loss and waste reduction in all relevant COP31 negotiated outcomes and promote “the COP31 Declaration on Reducing Food Loss and Waste for Climate Action, Food Security and Resilient Food Systems” that launched at COP31 and is open for endorsement by countries on the road to COP32.
Unlock needed financial flows to accelerate food waste reductions, improve food security, cut methane emissions, and build resilient communities. These financial resources should prioritize existing solutions frameworks and must reach national and sub-national actors that are delivering progress on the ground.