‘Water Roadmap’ targets water security for the food and drink sector
With COP26 highlighting the urgent need to act on water security and biodiversity, and UN predictions of a 40% global shortfall in water by 2030, WRAP is calling on all UK food & drink organisations to support the new Water Roadmap and adopt the actions it outlines.
WRAP, in partnership with WWF, The Rivers Trust and many other supporting organisations, today launches the Roadmap towards Water Security for the Food & Drink Supply (the ‘Water Roadmap’) to protect vital water resources for the benefit of nature, local communities and the food and drink sector.
The Water Roadmap explained
Co-ordinated by the UK’s leading sustainability charity WRAP, the Water Roadmap will be delivered by a coalition of water stewardship expert bodies, on-the-ground delivery agencies and UK food and drink organisations. The Water Roadmap builds on the success of the Courtauld Commitment Water Ambition to deliver even more ambitious changes across the food system in support of the new Courtauld Commitment 2030 target and the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
Launched in July 2021, WRAP’s Courtauld Commitment 2030 has set a series of targets for water. Combined, these targets will contribute directly towards achieving UN SDG 6, as well as protecting and restoring biodiversity and working towards Net Zero goals through implementing nature-based solutions.
Karen Fisher, Head of Climate Action Strategy at WRAP said: “The facts around the threats to water quality and availability are stark and will be worsened by climate change. All organisations that rely on water resources have a duty to take action to protect them and we must act now. “
The new Water Roadmap directly addresses the climate risk and food security issues surrounding water stewardship whilst highlighting the need for urgent adaptation and action.
David Edwards, Director of Food Strategy, WWF-UK said: “The Roadmap towards Water Security for Food & Drink Supply is a world-leading example of a whole-sector commitment to address water challenges in shared sourcing landscapes. The Roadmap recognises that it is only through working together towards common goals and addressing the management of water at a catchment scale, can we genuinely achieve sustainability for water in our fruit and vegetable imports.”
An interactive launch webinar at 2pm on Weds 24th November will hear from industry leaders and water stewardship experts successfully delivering projects in the UK and overseas who have joined the Roadmap to further their sustainability goals.
The webinar will highlight how to get involved and there will be the opportunity to put questions to the expert panel. Please register here.
