ABP part of world-leading pact to tackle plastic pollution
ABP has announced its inclusion as a founding member of the UK Plastics Pact announcement, an initiative launched by sustainability experts WRAP. This is a unique collaboration which brings together businesses from across the entire plastics value chain with the UK Government and NGOs to tackle the scourge of plastic waste. All of the company’s beef and lamb processing sites across the UK will be involved in the initiative.
ABP is one of 42 businesses, including major food, drink and non-food brands, manufacturers and retailers right through to plastic re-processors and packaging suppliers to have made a commitment to the Pact.
This powerful collective has committed to hit a series of ambitious targets by 2025:
- Eliminate problematic or unnecessary single-use plastic packaging through redesign, innovation or alternative (re-use) delivery models.
- 100% of plastic packaging to be reusable, recyclable or compostable
- 70% of plastic packaging effectively recycled or composted
- 30% average recycled content across all plastic packaging
Dean Holroyd, Group Technical and Sustainability Director, ABP Food Group said: “At ABP we are committed to doing all possible to minimise the impact of plastic on the environment. We see this as a great challenge and a huge opportunity to collaborate with other like-minded businesses to make a real and tangible difference in the fight against plastic at our sites and across the wider supply chain without compromising on quality, shelf life or food safety.”
WRAP CEO, Marcus Gover, said: “Together, we have a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to rethink and reshape the future of plastic so that we retain its value, and curtail the damage plastic waste wreaks on our planet. This requires a wholescale transformation of the plastics system and can only be achieved by bringing together all links in the chain under a shared commitment to act. That is what makes the UK Plastics Pact unique. It unites every body, business and organisation with a will to act on plastic pollution. We will never have a better time to act, and together we can.”
The immediate focus for UK Plastics Pact will be on identifying the priority projects that will deliver greatest impacts in the short and long term, such as overcoming barriers to increasing the amount of recycled content used in new packaging, developing reusable packaging and working with partners to overcome the issue of un-recyclable black plastic.
ABP Food Group is recognised as an industry leader when it comes to sustainable practices and environmental initiatives. The company recently achieved quadruple accreditation from the Carbon Trust in recognition of the progress it is making in reducing its environmental impact. The Carbon Trust Standard is the world’s leading independent certification of an organisation’s impact on the environment, verifying action on energy use, CO2 emissions, water use and waste output. It recognises continuous excellence and year on year improvements in the area of environmental performance