Tesco and WWF have launched a programme to measure and track the environmental impact of UK food production.
The Sustainable Basket Metric will track the environmental impact of a sample of products including household staples such as bread, milk, meat, fish, and fruit and vegetables. Each products impact will then be measured against key sustainability criteria, including climate change, deforestation and food and packaging waste.
According to Tesco, the products will be selected due to their popularity with customers and the different impacts each product has on the environment.
In its annual Little Helps Plan report, Tesco has committed to a 50% reduction in the environmental impact of the average UK shopping basket.
In early 2020, Tesco and WWF will run a first full assessment against the metric. Following the publication of these results, the companies will confirm a date to meet its target of halving the impact of the average UK shopping basket, with 2030 as its current ambition.
Tesco CEO Dave Lewis said: “Throughout our partnership, we’ll be carrying out industry-leading work to make food production more sustainable, including sourcing commodities like soy and palm oil from verified zero-deforestation areas, and improving soil health and water usage on farms in the UK. Working together we can help to ensure the natural environment is protected for future generations.”
WWF UK CEO, Tanya Steele said: “Food production is at the core of many of the environmental crises facing our planet – it’s the leading cause of tropical deforestation and is responsible for 24% of the world’s greenhouse gases.
“The launch of the Sustainable Basket Metric will enable Tesco to fully understand the end-to-end sustainability impact of some of the most popular foods, and we’re proud to have worked with them to create it. We want other retailers to take a similar approach and come together to ensure a more sustainable approach to food production.”
The Metric has been formed as part of Tesco and WFF’s partnership, which was made last year. Since this formation, the two companies have been working on a number of sustainability projects including soil health and water usage programmes in UK agriculture, and working towards the production
