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The Business of Recycling England. WRAP England
Guidance for Food manufacturing
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Why your Food or Drink Manufacturing business needs to recycle

The benefits of recycling in the food and drink manufacturing sector

Estimated reading time: 3 min

As a business, you’re considered to have a ‘Duty of Care’ to ensure that the waste you generate is produced, stored, transported and disposed of without harming the environment. This is set out in the Environmental Protection Act 1990, but new legislation takes this a step further by making business recycling a legal requirement.

But there’s more to recycling than complying with legislation! There are lots of other great business reasons to recycle, including:

  • Helping to tackle climate change: the UK’s food and drink sector was responsible for 158 million tonnes of CO2 in 2019, amounting to about 22% of the country’s carbon footprint. 6% of this arose from processing raw ingredients into finished food and drinks products, read more at Food and Drink Federation Roadmap to Net Zero. Reducing food waste during the manufacturing stage will support wider efforts to tackle climate change.

  • Reducing costs: recycling is often cheaper than disposal, and larger food and drink manufacturers could save £400-£1,000 a year per employee. Read more at WRAP’s Business Resource Efficiency Guide: Green office guide and use our business waste calculator to find out how much you could save.

  • Helping fulfil your customers’ : as your suppliers and customers commit to , promoting your recycling activities will be increasingly important.

  • Improving process performance: eliminating and reducing waste will improve the performance of your processes by making them more efficient.

  • Attracting, motivating and retaining staff: a successful waste reduction and recycling programme depends on staff involvement and team-working, and people who feel part of an organisation and are asked to be involved with projects are more likely to feel valued by their employer.

  • The Courtauld Commitment 2030: a voluntary agreement signed up to by many retailers sets ambitious environmental targets to help the food and drink sector achieve global environmental goals. As a result, many retailers expect food manufacturers to support and contribute to their efforts to reduce supply chain food waste.

80% of young people (aged 18-22) entering the workforce ranked tackling single-use plastics as important for employers, ahead of reducing electricity and water consumption. 37% said that they would consider a potential employer’s environmental responsibility when looking for a job. Lifting the Lid on Waste, Business in the Community

It’s also worth acknowledging that employees, customers and investors increasingly scrutinise how companies operate. Setting bold public targets and demonstrating good practice in waste management sends a powerful message. It shows that your business assumes responsibility for the resources it uses and the waste it generates, demonstrates leadership and shows your business to be forward-thinking.