With the UK in the grip of its third heatwave this year, the evidence of the need for the industry and government to step up the war on climate change appears obvious everywhere you look.

Sadly, when it comes to pinning down concrete proof on the impact of climate efforts so far, the picture is far less clear.

Since the much-hyped COP26, there has been widespread recognition of the need for greater sector-wide co-operation on greenhouse gas reduction. Despite this, progress has continually been held up by ongoing disagreements between companies and ministers over how to report and regulate emissions.

However, while hosepipe bans, wildfires and 35°C temperatures have increased concerns, there is now also a sense of renewed hope after Defra declared trials of a universal greenhouse gas footprinting system set to begin in the agri-food sector next month as a “key milestone”.

The so-called ’LED4Food’ programme, spearheaded by climate change experts Wrap, will introduce methodology it hopes will allow rival carbon footprinting technologies to work together. Previously, competition between rival green claims and environmental strategies had often impeded progress.

If the tests go as planned, Wrap says that by this time next year it expects to be making recommendations from ministers to add formal government backing for a universally approved system of product-level life cycle footprinting.

However, not for the first time, the acid test will be the extent to which minsters are prepared to act and pave the way for a truly joined-up system.

Data quality 

The Grocer has repeatedly exposed how previous government efforts on revamping corporate data and reporting mechanisms used by companies have become bogged down by disagreement over the quality of data.

Defra had been planning to announce plans for all big food and drink companies to report on supply chain emissions, ahead of the COP28 conference in Dubai (a full two years after all the fuss in Glasgow).

However, the plans were scrapped as the Food & Drink Transparency Partnership running the programme was struggling to secure consensus on the data to be used. There was also fallout over the new environmental labels, which were to be launched on the back of the reporting, to help drive consumers towards products with a lower carbon footprint.

Once again, Defra must now decide whether it is prepared to give carbon footprinting the necessary regulatory teeth, and whether to adopt Wrap’s new recommendations as the foundation for a UK-wide eco-label.

Red tape fears

Despite the painful groundwork having already been trodden, it will be no easy task to get either the political or the industry backing for an overhaul of GHG reporting. This inevitably raises fears over more red tape, as well as concern that retailers will use the information as an excuse to put suppliers even further under the cosh.

Wrap might not need to reinvent the wheel in terms of carbon reporting, but it will have its work cut out to persuade all the different cogs to work together. Getting the many different business and technology platforms currently extolling the virtues of their own “green” reporting systems to work together under one unified approach will be like herding cats.

Other initiatives, such as the BRC’s Carbon Removals Taskforce, led by Mondra and backed by the likes of Tesco, M&S, Asda and leading suppliers, have also already recognised the need for unified standards. Wrap says it will work with Mondra and its partners on the scheme it plans to present to the government.

Compared with the days of Glasgow 2021, there have been numerous breakthroughs in areas such as artificial intelligence, which ought to make coming up with a universal system easier to operate.

Sadly, all too often, it is when the human interactions and political considerations get involved that things tend to break down.

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