Celebrating Welsh food and drink

12 @specialityfood SUSTAINABILITY Sustainability inAction The long-term health of planet and businesses is at the core of the Welsh Government’s food and drink plans T heWelsh food and drink industry is highly regarded for being forward-thinking, but when it comes to sustainability it truly is a step ahead. TheWelsh Government has vowed that in a world where climate change is becoming an increasingly pertinent issue – impacting weather patterns and the ecology of the land the sector relies on – its domestic industries will become one of themost sustainable in the world and has put a number of steps into place to help producers on their sustainability journey. In order to future-proof their operations and work towards a safer shared future, Welsh food and drink businesses are encouraged to consider their environmental impact and how the changing environment affects their future operations, lower their carbon emissions, improve their waste management systems andmaximise the use of renewable energy sources. They are also working towards increasingly circular operations to strengthen resource efficiency and build long-term resilience.” These are long-termgoals, with a number of factors having been laid out in the Climate Act 2008 and the process feeding into the UK’s goal to have net zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2050. Wales set out its plans in its 2020 International Strategy for Wales publication, withinwhich environmental matters played a key role, and the hope is that the country’s efforts will forma blueprint model for other international food and drink industries to follow. TheWelsh Government also published its Climate Adaptation Strategy for Wales in 2024, part of which highlights the vital value of sustainable supply chains in a changing climate. In line with this, the Strategy includes plans to HOW INDEPENDENT RETAILERS CAN BENEFIT Support is also available to independent retailers, helping themstrengthen their sustainability plans, stay aligned with industry progress and competewith their larger counterparts in terms of climate resilience preparation and readiness. Food &Drink Wales’ resilience toolkit includes frameworks for self-assessments, tools tomonitor progress, and insight into relevant issues such as financial challenges, staffing and legislation.