Sustainability Action Plan: Repurposing & Recycling in focus
The Agricultural Industries Confederation (AIC) has published “Agri-supply: An Action Plan for Sustainable Efficiency”, a pivotal resource designed to support UK agri-supply businesses in navigating the complexities of sustainability.
Launched at the AIC Conference on 13 November 2024, this comprehensive blueprint offers essential guidance for businesses across the key agri-supply sectors of Animal Feed, Combinable Crops, Crop Protection and Agronomy, Fertiliser, and Seed.
AIC’s Action Plan provides a clear framework for enhancing sustainability credentials while driving operational efficiency, fostering resilience, and contributing to a robust agriculture and food system in the UK.
Covering critical topics such as economic resilience, climate impacts, biodiversity, and sustainable communities, it delivers actionable insights and recommendations that align with government policies and market expectations.
Each week, AIC is exploring a chapter of the Sustainability Action Plan - this week we focus on “Repurposing & Recycling”. Read the full chapter of AIC's Sustainability Action Plan on this area from page 48.
Visit the Sustainability webpage for more information.
What does it mean?
Improving the circularity of packaging within the areas of the supply chain that we control:
- Increase recycled content of packaging
- Use materials in packaging that are easily recyclable
- Reduce the volume of packaging through good design
Why does it matter to business?
The Climate Change Committee’s 2022 progress report shows that waste emissions in 2020 were approximately 25m t CO2 equivalent, almost 6% of UK emissions.
Much of this comes from landfill where biodegradable waste degrades anaerobically to create methane. The world produces 141m tonnes of plastic packaging each year of which 1/3 put on the global market leaks from collection systems causing pollution.
The production, use and disposal of plastic contributes about 1.8bn tonnes of carbon emissions annually. Reducing waste and efficiently using resources is fundamental to achieving SDG 12 ‘Responsible Consumption and Production’.
Learn more
AIC’s Action Plan for Sustainable Efficiency is your guide to meaningful progress, offering practical actions to reduce environmental impact, support market access, and secure long-term resilience.
All agri-supply businesses are encouraged to explore the Action Plan and engage with AIC for further support. For queries and further information, contact AIC’s Head of Sustainability Vicky Robinson ([email protected]) or Policy Manager Andrew Pearson ([email protected]).
Go to the Sustainability webpage to find out more, or click below.
Authors
Vicky Robinson
Vicky Robinson is Head of Sustainability and is responsible for leading and co-ordinating AIC's work on sustainability.
