Brambles has signed a three-year agreement with the international non-profit organisation, The Global FoodBanking Network (GFN). Through this partnership Brambles will provide supply chain knowledge, in-kind contributions, volunteers and donations to help finance GFN operations, in an effort to reduce hunger, poverty, malnutrition and food waste globally.

The agreement comes as the United Nations FAO (Food and Agriculture Organization) reports that the value of food lost or wasted annually around the globe – some one-third of the food produced or 1.3 billion tonnes – amounts to roughly USD $680 billion in industrialized countries and USD $310 billion in developing countries. At the same time, nearly 800 million people suffer from hunger every day.

Lisa Moon, President and CEO of GFN, said, “We are honored to partner with Brambles to leverage its expertise, products, and leadership to help drive efficiency and scale in food banks around the world. We would like to thank Brambles for their commitment to the fight against world hunger while also advancing sustainability”.

Last year, food banks within GFN’s network distributed 421,840 metric tonnes of food to 6.8 million needy people in partnership with 27,000 charitable organisations and social centers. The GFN network consists of a total of 792 food banks located in 32 countries.

Brambles CEO, Tom Gorman, said, “Brambles is highly committed to deliver sustainable value in the communities where we operate. Food banks are a great example of that. Our new relationship with GFN builds on our multi-year engagement working with our customers to support food banks around the world. In addition, Brambles efforts to expand both the capacity and capabilities of GFN Network to address hunger is an important part of our comprehensive approach to addressing food security”.

“We are focused on reducing post-harvest food loss, improving the ability of small holder farmers to access modern packaging that protects the integrity of the product and enhances food safety. Whether we are working with individual food banks, the GFN, The Consumer Goods Forum or Enactus[2] our employees are dedicated to improving access to food and economic opportunity and to improving the sustainability of our environment”.

Zero Hunger is goal Number 2 of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals[3](SDGs). Food loss and waste are recognized by organisations such as the World Bank, the United Nations FAO, and the Consumer Goods Forum, (CGF) as critical challenges in the fight to reduce hunger, protect the environment and grow economic opportunity.

Brambles operates in more than sixty countries, primarily through the CHEP and IFCO brands.