Meat In a Net Zero World

Thirty-eight of the UK’s largest organizations involved in the production and sale of meat, including Pilgrim’s UK, announced goals to halve the amount of meat that goes to waste each year in the UK, which will help the UK achieve net zero greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions under new collective action.

All major grocery retailers, together with meat processors representing 80 percent of UK production, and hospitality and foodservice companies, have signed up for Meat in a Net Zero world – developed under Courtauld Commitment 2025 and facilitated by WRAP (Waste & Resources Action Programme).

WRAP estimates that each year, around 380,000 metric tons of the meat intended for consumption goes uneaten, with the GHG emissions associated with this uneaten meat measuring more than 4 million metric tons of CO2 equivalents. Much of this meat is discarded in the home, but there are important actions to take at all points across the supply chain. A dedicated Meat Sector Working Group was convened by WRAP under Courtauld 2025 that brought together key stakeholders to identify the areas of biggest impact, and opportunities to overcome barriers and avoid just moving problems along the supply chain.

Meat in a Net Zero world aims to prevent more than 150,000 metric tons of meat from ending up as waste each year, worth £1.5 billion, and make an important contribution to the UK’s target to bring all GHG emissions to net zero by 2050.