AccorHotels UK & Ireland supports industry-wide Food Waste Reduction Roadmap

Posted in Business, News on 2 October, 2018

AccorHotels UK and Ireland has been announced as a key supporter of a ground-breaking new roadmap being launched to help organisations across the country meet the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goal of halving food waste by 2030.

The Food Waste Reduction Roadmap, launched by WRAP and IGD, aims to unite the UK food industry with a common approach and provide milestones to measure and report food waste. The UK is the first country globally to establish a nationwide plan detailing how it intends to support the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals for food waste reduction.

The roadmap has ambitious and measurable milestones, supported by a wide range of resources advising large businesses on what they need to do to reduce food waste. It encourages companies to manage their food waste reduction programme in three ways; set a reduction target, measure it in a consistent way and then act to reduce wastage.

Under its Planet 21 sustainable development programme, AccorHotels has set a target of reducing food waste by 30% and creating 1,000 urban vegetable gardens worldwide by 2020. To achieve this, AccorHotels works closely with suppliers both at regional and local levels to ensure food waste is reduced. Hotels are encouraged to set their own actions to reduce waste by ensuring that they only order what is necessary and will be consumed.

Shane Munro, VP Food & Beverage, AccorHotels UK & Ireland, said: “Reducing food waste is a key focus of the Planet21 sustainable development programme, so we are delighted to be able to support the Roadmap. It is vital that the industry works together to tackle this problem, not only does it have a significant environmental impact, but consumers are increasingly concerned about food waste and expect large businesses to play their part in tackling the issue.”

AccorHotels recently became the first hotel group to join the Too Good To Go surplus food marketplace in the UK, allowing the hotels to sell surplus food to local people at discounted prices via a smartphone app to reduce food wastage. To date, 278 hotels in the UK and Europe have signed up to the platform, saving 70,700 meals from going to waste, equivalent to 134.3 tonnes of CO2 emissions. 

Marcus Glover, CEO of WRAP, said: “Together WRAP and IGD have mobilised industry leaders to create a bold sector-wide Roadmap, showing clearly what UK businesses must do. This Roadmap is hugely ambitious, and I’m delighted that the UK is the first to set a nation-wide plan towards delivering its part in SDG12.3. AccorHotels is one of several businesses working hard already, but many more need to focus on food waste. If the food sector follows this Roadmap it will significantly accelerate work to achieving both Courtauld 2025, and SDG12.3 targets. And I urge other companies to adopt the principles laid out in the Roadmap joining AccorHotels and the rest of the sector on this historic journey.”