Walmart funds WRAP food waste trials

The Walmart Foundation has awarded nearly US$ 750,000 in support of WRAP’s behaviour change interventions (BCIs) that aim to decrease household food waste in the UK and Canada.

WRAP will work in partnership with the National Zero Waste Council in Canada, focusing on high-impact food waste behaviours and developing new intervention strategies. Research is currently underway in both the UK and Canada, with BCI prototypes to be piloted between March 2022 and 2023.

The project will additionally be shared with partners to help inform international policy and guide best practice recommendations for stakeholders throughout the supply chain, from retailers to the on-trade.

WRAP says it is keen to speak with other trusts, foundations, and not-for-profit organisations about additional pilot projects it is developing in the UK.

The organisation’s behaviour change strategy addresses a number of materials that contribute heavily towards global greenhouse gas emissions and pollution, with food waste, plastics, and textiles BCIs running alongside others for recycling and resource efficiency.

WRAP has additionally received funding from The Garfield Weston Foundation, the Avery Dennison Foundation, and Stewart Investors.

Sarah Clayton, Head of Citizen Behaviour Change at WRAP, said: “We are delighted to have the backing of the Walmart Foundation on this ground-breaking research, which will drive forward thinking on ways to subtly ‘nudge’ people towards positive behaviours that prevent food going to waste.

“Food waste is so often overlooked in relation to climate change, but more greenhouse gas is produced by food waste than by all international flights, so we ignore it at our peril. Having organisations like the Walmart Foundation onboard is crucial to deliver new work and generate new insights for the benefit of partners all around the world.”

Eileen Hyde, Senior Director for Walmart.org, added: “We have an opportunity to reduce the impacts of food waste on the environment with even the slightest behaviour modifications,”

“Identifying these behaviours and applying interventions is a great step in the right direction to affect change. It will take all of us working together to address food waste, and we’re proud to support WRAP’s good work.”

Jack Froese, Chair, National Zero Waste Council, said: “The National Zero Waste Council is pleased to collaborate with WRAP UK on this important research into the behaviours that lead to food waste at home and insights as to how habits that lead to food waste can be changed.

“Food waste is a common problem – more than 60 per cent of the food Canadians throw away could have been eaten - but there may be nuances between our two countries that will help us to better understand and change our relationship with food.”