The Welsh Government remains committed to collaborating with businesses to achieve its aim of creating one of the most sustainable food and drink supply chains in the world. To further this goal, the Welsh Government Food & Drink Wales Sustainability Cluster has announced a series of breakfast meetings that will take place across Wales over the coming months.
Bringing businesses and experts together, the meetings offer a unique opportunity to connect with like-minded people, forge new partnerships and spark collaborative efforts for a greener future.
Boasting over 100 members from across the food and drink industry, along with government bodies and 30 academic organisations, the Food & Drink Wales Sustainability Cluster functions as the eyes and ears of the industry. Working hand in hand to tackle common industry problems, developing networks and sharing expertise, it supports sustainable practices across the agri-food industry using the successful triple helix approach with government, industry and academia.
Each of the upcoming meetings will feature local experts, who will share their experience of sustainable businesses practices and explore avenues for improvement. The events will take place at:
- North East Wales: Friday, 8th November 2024 at Rossett Hall, Wrexham, LL12 0DE
- South West Wales: Tuesday, 11th February 2025 at Coaltown Coffee Roasters, Ammanford, SA18 2LS
The roadshow builds on the resounding success of the first ever food and drink sustainability focused conference for the industry in Wales, which was recently held in Cardiff. The conference was led by Welsh Government funded programmes i.e. Food and Drink Wales Sustainability Cluster, in collaboration with the Food & Drink Wales Insight Programme, the conference tackled some of the key issues facing the industry to become more sustainable.
Featuring a series of discussions on the impact of sustainability on consumer trends, the evolution of sustainable packaging, and the role of environmental labelling, attendees also explored how retailers are addressing emissions across their supply chains and the implications for suppliers.
Working collaboratively to drive positive change is at the heart of the cluster’s work. For Robert Hindle, Director of Operations at La Crème Patisserie, the conference was a fantastic opportunity to bring people together and share expertise. He said, “It’s great to see the diverse range of people come together from different companies within the sector.
“For us it’s about engaging with those stakeholders, trying to understand what challenges we have together and what we can learn from and collaborate with. But ultimately, move forward both individually and as a group. You cannot do this independently and it has to be a collaborative effort.”
Underscoring further the importance of collaboration, for Karen Davies, Director at Carmarthen-based soft drinks manufacturer Tovali, "Events by the Sustainability Cluster are really useful in giving insights into how we can look at our procedures and processes, also thinking about how we can work with other businesses that we meet in terms of further mutual collaboration.
“We are proactively trying to play our part by improving every element in our sustainability journey across our manufacturing, distribution or waste management, learning from like minded businesses and experts can only help us with this mutual goal.”
Cabinet Secretary for Climate Change and Rural Affairs, Huw Irranca-Davies MS, said, "We are immensely proud to have recently hosted Wales’ first-ever Food & Drink Wales Sustainability Conference. The event not only highlighted many successes within the industry, but also underscored the collective commitment by food and drink businesses to learn from each other and embrace environmentally responsible practices.
“The upcoming breakfast meetings are another great opportunity for businesses that are interested in sustainable development. Events such as these form a cornerstone of our commitment to sustainability, and offer a platform for dialogue, partnership and collaboration in the pursuit of a greener Wales. I’d urge all food and drink businesses in Wales to take advantage of these opportunities for greater collaboration.”
Interested individuals can reserve their place at one of the meetings by emailing sustainabilitycluster@levercliff.co.uk.