Ambitious New Resolution on Food Waste Agreed by The Consumer Goods Board for an Improved Industry

The CGF Board, which comprises of 50 global CEOs worldwide, came together to discuss the role of each initiative and how they are best placed to improve the industry. The CGF Board provides a ‘catalyst’ for this change, thanks to the scale and scope of operations and supply chains that these organisations have within the industry. This is further enhanced by the weight of the wider CGF membership – 400 businesses in 70 countries, with combined sales in excess of EUR 2.5 trillion – which allows the initiatives to have a real opportunity to make a positive difference.

 

The Board approved a new resolution to halve food waste by 2025 within member retail and manufacturing operations, and support the UN’s food waste ambitions. It also pledged to reduce food losses throughout production and supply chain and to maximise the value of any remaining waste. The announcement comes at a critical time, with 1.3 billion tonnes of food waste being produced each year, which has an estimated value of $750 billion. The CGF will be developing an implementation plan for its members and will be running events and webinars, open to both CGF and non-CGF members.

 

The CGF has also launched a series of free tools, which will deliver on its mission to improve business efficiency and consumer trust. These include:

 

• A health and wellness online platform called Consumer Goods for Better Lives: with over 30 practical examples of consumer goods companies’ concrete initiatives, it is designed to inspire the industry to implement action plans to improve the health of their employees and consumers.

• A Consumer Engagement Principles online companion handbook and quick assessment scan, which helps companies take steps towards managing their consumers’ data in a trustworthy manner, and benchmark their consumer engagement strategy against their peers.

• The GFSI / ITC Standards Map, which aims to bolster competitiveness and access to global markets for small to medium agribusinesses.

• The new GSCP-ITC Quick Scan application, which helps companies self-assess their supply chain management against international best practice – a key step for continuous improvement towards sustainability.

 

The new toolkit will serve as a living, evolving resource to showcase how the industry – through CGF members – is looking to drive positive change and empower consumers to make informed diet and lifestyle choices. The toolkit contains practical examples and content support, along with simple and practical ‘how to’ steps for those who want to improve the health of their employees and support their consumers.

 

The new assessment scan will help companies to evaluate their current consumer engagement strategies so that they can further improve consumer trust. It also allows them to receive recommendations on areas for improvement based on benchmark research; it takes less than five minutes to complete the survey and get the results. A newly-published companion manual outlines the Principles of the CGF and describes the steps that are being taken to ensure these Principles are adhered to across the consumer goods industry.

 

The Global Food Safety Initiative (GFSI), which is managed by the CGF, is joining forces with the International Trade Centre (ITC) to help make small and medium-sized (SME) agribusinesses more competitive. They will be able to use the ITC’s online platform to access the GFSI Global Markets Programme; tagged as the path to certification for SMEs towards one of the 10 GFSI recognised schemes. This will enable them to conduct a self-assessment, decide on strategies to improve their food safety practices and access new markets more easily. This fresh new approach endeavours to reduce hazards in the global food supply chain and give more firms the opportunity to develop their own plans for food safety.

 

The CGF’s Global Social Compliance Programme (GSCP) has partnered with the International Trade Centre to launch the new GSCP-ITC Quick Scan application. Buyers, supply chain initiatives and sustainability standards can use this open source tool to compare themselves with GSCP standards. Such easy assessment against corporate best practice supports socially responsible supply chains by providing every actor with a common tool for continuous improvement. With sustainability becoming an increasingly important area for businesses, the quick and easy tool can give firms the impetus they need to take their CSR initiatives to the next level.

 

Peter Freedman, Managing Director of The Consumer Goods Forum, said: “The consumer world is constantly evolving and so it’s important the CGF remains at the forefront of serving the industry’s best interests. This year’s initiatives emphasise our commitment to creating innovative solutions to the serious issues affecting our planet. I’m proud that our members have worked together to come to an agreement on this positive series of major initiatives. This shows that businesses have a key role to play in making the world a healthier, safer and more sustainable place.”

 

To find out more about The Consumer Goods Forum and this year’s Global Summit, please visit www.theconsumergoodsforum.com and www.tcgfsummit.com

 

 

The Consumer Goods Forum (“CGF”) is a global, parity-based industry network that is driven by its members to encourage the global adoption of practices and standards that serves the consumer goods industry worldwide. It brings together the CEOs and senior management of some 400 retailers, manufacturers, service providers, and other stakeholders across 70 countries, and it reflects the diversity of the industry in geography, size, product category and format. Its member companies have combined sales of EUR 2.5 trillion and directly employ nearly 10 million people, with a further 90 million related jobs estimated along the value chain. It is governed by its Board of Directors, which comprises 50 manufacturer and retailer CEOs.

For more information, please visit: www.theconsumergoodsforum.com.

 

 

Fergus Campbell

Executive Director

Golin

Mobile: +44 (0) 7799 132 303

Office: +44 (0) 20 7067 0699

 

Isabelle Odesser

Director Membership and Communications

The Consumer Goods Forum

Mobile: +33 6 07 03 33 96

Office: +33 1 82 00 95 76