Tesco is to roll out a new programme to help suppliers and farmers transition to a sustainable food system.
The Nature Programme will focus on five key areas of action including protecting nature in key sourcing landscapes, scaling industry leading innovations to support biodiversity, and implementing a nature plan across its own estate and operations.
Other areas will be continuing to lead industry research into key challenges facing nature and the food system, and playing a leading role in cross sector engagement.
The leading retailer will continue to support water stewardship work in key UK and international sourcing areas, alongside local partners such as the Norfolk Rivers Trust and the Wye and Usk Foundation.
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Tesco has committed to providing multi-year support to help achieve WRAP’s Courtauld 2030 Water Roadmap, which aims to ensure 50% of the UK’s fresh food and drink is sourced from areas with sustainable water management by 2030.
The increased support will help fund a network of critical on-the-ground collective action projects, helping to address water risk in catchments identified as being most affected by UK food and drink production.
Tesco has urged key suppliers in the River Wye catchment to match its ambition on achieving the Roadmap, and sign up to third party environmental certification schemes as soon as possible.
The Nature Programme will continue to drive Tesco’s efforts to scale-up innovations in its supply chains to help reduce emissions and protect nature, including promoting biodiversity monitoring technologies, as well as supporting the use of low carbon fertilisers by its farmers and growers.
The work of the programme will also help the leading retailer achieve its target to be net zero across its whole footprint by 2050.
Tesco chief commercial officer Ashwin Prasad said: “The UK continues to be impacted by significant nature and biodiversity decline. We know the UK food system has a significant role to play, so its clear transformational change is needed to how we grow, produce and consume our food.
“Our Nature Programme will provide our supply base with innovative and practical ways to protect and restore nature, including stepping up our support for vital on-the-ground action in water catchments across the UK.”
