163: The road to net zero: how can the food industry reach it?

The UK Government has committed to going 'net zero' by 2050. In practice this means getting rid of as many emissions as we produce. This can be achieved through removing harmful emissions as much as possible and in the instances where we still rely on fossil fuels, offsetting the emissions we produce. In the second of a series of podcasts focused on net zero, we rejoin the Food and Drink Federation to hear about the roadmap they've published that shows the food and drink industry could hit net zero by 2050, and find out how this will impact manufacturers. Joining host Stefan Gates once again is Emma Piercy, Head of Climate Change & Energy Policy - FDF, and this time we also speak to Matt Loose, Chief Executive & Founder, Canopy Consulting. Join us to hear the scope of the challenge ahead, how it creates opportunities for food brands, and what the government needs to do to help support food and drink brands on their journey to net zero. About our guests Emma Piercy, Head of Climate Change & Energy Policy - FDF Emma joined FDF in October 2019 to lead the Food and Drink Federation’s work programme in Climate Change and Energy. With the UK’s target of net zero by 2050, Emma is currently focused on decarbonising heat in the manufacturing process, to feed into Government’s forthcoming Energy White Paper and Heat Decarbonisation Roadmap. Before joining FDF, Emma held a number of policy and regulation roles in the energy sector covering: RWE AG; RWE Npower Cogen; Elexon; Sustainable Energy Association; First Utility (now Shell Energy) and National Grid Gas. Matt Loose, Chief Executive & Founder, Canopy Consulting Matt helps clients make bold strategic decisions to transform sustainability outcomes. He helps organisations set inspiring sustainability ambitions and guides teams on the path to implement. He helps organisations engage and communicate with stakeholders to scale impacts. Matt has advised leading organisations and multistakeholder initiatives across sectors to design, engage with and implement strategies to transform outcomes on the most urgent sustainability issues. Previously Matt was Senior Director at SustainAbility and a co-owner of Stratos. He’s worked in sustainability for Johnson Matthey and Ernst & Young. He’s a member of ACCA’s Global Sustainability Forum.