WRAP Revises Runa’s Clause to Help Businesses Reduce Food Waste
Food waste is usually treated as an operational problem: stock management, forecasting, storage, portion control.
WRAP is taking a different angle.
The organisation has released an updated version of “Runa’s Clause”, a legal contract clause designed to help businesses reduce food waste through supplier agreements rather than relying on internal targets alone.
Developed alongside The Chancery Lane Project (TCLP), a UK legal non-profit focused on climate action through contract law, the update is intended to make food waste reduction part of day-to-day commercial relationships.
In simple terms: instead of talking about reducing waste, businesses are encouraged to write expectations directly into contracts.
What the Updated Clause Actually Covers
The revised clause is designed to give businesses a practical framework for tracking and reducing food waste across supply chains.
It strengthens expectations around:
- measuring the tonnage of food waste generated
- recording food waste reduction initiatives and outcomes
- reporting progress against reduction targets
- using recognised measurement tools, including WRAP’s Food Waste Data Capture Sheet
- aligning with wider best practice frameworks such as the UK Food and Drink Pact and the Food Waste Reduction Roadmap
The focus is on consistency. If suppliers are working towards the same reporting standards, waste becomes easier to measure, and harder to ignore.
Why Contracts Are Being Pulled Into the Conversation
According to Ben Metz, Executive Director at The Chancery Lane Project, contracts remain one of the strongest tools businesses have to influence behaviour across supply chains.
His argument is fairly straightforward: sustainability targets often sit in presentations or annual reports, while contracts define what actually happens.
As he explains:
“By building food waste reduction directly into contracts, companies can move from good intentions to measurable impact.”
That includes working more closely with suppliers to reduce avoidable waste and improve visibility across the supply chain.
Food Waste Is Still Expensive
The financial side is difficult to ignore.
According to WRAP, the average cost of food waste ranges between £1,638 and more than £4,200 per tonne, depending on sector.
Those costs are rarely just disposal.
They often include:
- wasted stock
- labour and preparation costs
- storage and refrigeration
- transport and disposal charges
- lost margin on unsold products
For hospitality, catering, manufacturing and food retail, food waste often carries a higher price tag than expected.
The Carbon Impact Is Hard to Ignore Too
WRAP estimates that preventing one tonne of food waste avoids nearly four tonnes of CO₂e emissions.
That matters more as reporting expectations tighten and businesses come under increasing pressure to demonstrate measurable progress rather than broad sustainability statements.
Caroline Conroy, Senior Specialist for Food System Transformation at WRAP, described the updated clause as a way to reduce losses much earlier in the process, at contract stage rather than after waste has already happened.
Why This Is Getting More Attention Now
The timing is not accidental.
Food waste is receiving greater attention across the UK, particularly with:
- Simpler Recycling requirements
- mandatory food waste separation expanding
- growing pressure for supply chain reporting
- increasing disposal and treatment costs
For many businesses, the conversation is gradually shifting from “how much food waste do we have?” to “where in the chain is it being created?”
Looking at Food Waste More Closely?
Food waste often reveals issues elsewhere: ordering, storage, separation or collection setup.
Affordable Waste Management helps businesses arrange compliant food waste collection services, helping reduce contamination and keep waste streams properly separated.
Get a quote and review your current food waste setup.