Sustainability Award
EY partnered with the Institute of Grocery Distribution (IGD) and leading food companies to deliver a first-of -its-kind sector decarbonisation plan covering the entire UK food system and prepared a national climate risk assessment of 10 core commodities underpinning the UK’s diet to support financial quantification of climate change and nature loss.
The food system drives around a third of global greenhouse gas emissions and accounts for approximately 70% of global freshwater withdrawals. In the UK, food and drink is the largest manufacturing industry, contributing £100bn to GDP and 4.4 million jobs while generating around 30% of national emissions, making it central to achieving the UK’s climate targets.
Fulfilling our national and international climate commitments, particularly in a sector characterised by thin margins, complex supply chains and rising regulatory costs presents a profound challenge for businesses and society. Climate impacts and extreme weather are continuing to erode agricultural yields and quality, increasing costs, driving nature loss and threatening food security, yet decarbonisation and adaptation can feel out of reach for many businesses.
EY partnered with the Institute of Grocery Distribution (IGD) and leading food companies to deliver two groundbreaking outputs:
- A first-of-its-kind sector decarbonisation plan for the UK food system — encompassing farm-level production to household food waste reduction.
- A national climate risk assessment of 10 core commodities underpinning the UK’s diet, quantifying the financial impact of climate change and nature loss
This programme represents a transformative moment at a scale not seen before, engaging multiple stakeholders across the food sector and developing industry outputs and tools to empower the UK food sector. Our work sets a benchmark for other sectors, providing a replicable model for industry level decarbonisation and adaptation. This project is more than a report, it’s a catalyst for systemic change in the UK food sector.
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