Global greenhouse gas emissions stand higher than at any point in the past 800,000 years. Grocery supply chains lose 36 percent of food waste at the retail stage in the United States while EU rules push for all packaging to become recyclable by 2030. The following statistics examine these pressures across energy use, waste, and emissions.
Key Takeaways
- In the European Union, the share of renewable energy in gross final energy consumption was 22.1% in 2019, providing context for the energy transition affecting grocery refrigeration and distribution.
- The global compostable plastics market is forecast to reach $8.7 billion by 2032 (forecast, estimate).
- The EU Farm to Fork strategy also targets cutting fertilizer use by 20% and pesticide use by 50% by 2030 compared with 2020 levels.
- The EU’s Packaging and Packaging Waste Regulation (PPWR) proposal sets a target that all packaging be recyclable by 2030.
- The EU requires large companies to report climate-related information under the Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive (CSRD), starting for financial years beginning in 2024 for many companies.
- In the U.S., 36% of all food wasted by the supply chain occurs at retail (including grocery), according to EPA’s food waste characterization.
- In the EU, packaging waste was 173.6 kg per person in 2022, informing grocery packaging sustainability and recycling performance.
- The U.S. EPA’s Food Recovery Hierarchy states source reduction first, followed by feeding hungry people, then feeding animals, industrial uses, and landfilling last—guiding grocery waste programs.
- IPCC AR6 reports that global greenhouse-gas emissions are higher than at any time in at least the last 800,000 years, providing the emissions context for grocery decarbonization goals.
- IKEA’s Better Homes, Better Planet strategy targets a 2030 climate footprint reduction, demonstrating grocery retail supply chain direction (quantified goal in report).
- Methane has 28–36 times the global warming potential of CO2 over 100 years (depending on the assessment), influencing the emissions urgency of diverting food waste from landfills.
- Kantar reports that 67% of consumers are willing to change their buying habits to reduce environmental impact, supporting demand-side adoption of greener grocery products.
- In the EU, the Ecodesign for Energy-Related Products framework supports energy efficiency improvements across appliances and equipment used in grocery stores and distribution.
- IEA estimates that improving energy efficiency can deliver about 40% of the emissions reductions needed by 2030 to meet climate goals (energy efficiency leverage relevant to grocery).
- The U.S. material recovery rate for plastics packaging was 8.7% in 2022 (recycling rate).
Grocery sustainability is accelerating with renewable energy, stricter EU reporting and packaging rules, and huge food waste and emissions challenges.
Related reading
01 · Category
Market Size2 stats
01
In the European Union, the share of renewable energy in gross final energy consumption was 22.1% in 2019, providing context for the energy transition affecting grocery refrigeration and distribution.
02
The global compostable plastics market is forecast to reach $8.7 billion by 2032 (forecast, estimate).
Interpretation
Market Size Interpretation
For the grocery industry’s market size outlook, renewable energy already makes up 22.1% of the EU’s gross final energy consumption in 2019 and the compostable plastics market is projected to grow to $8.7 billion by 2032, signaling expanding demand for sustainability driven inputs.
02 · Category
Policy & Regulation7 stats
01
The EU Farm to Fork strategy also targets cutting fertilizer use by 20% and pesticide use by 50% by 2030 compared with 2020 levels.
02
The EU’s Packaging and Packaging Waste Regulation (PPWR) proposal sets a target that all packaging be recyclable by 2030.
03
The EU requires large companies to report climate-related information under the Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive (CSRD), starting for financial years beginning in 2024 for many companies.
04
The CSRD standard applies for financial years starting 2024 for companies already under the NFRD, with phased expansion to others in subsequent years.
05
The EU’s RED II and related requirements drive renewable energy and emissions reductions in energy-intensive cold chain operations that grocery relies on.
06
EU F-gas Regulation (Regulation (EU) No 2024/573) reduces HFC supply and increases phase-down targets to cut emissions from refrigeration used in grocery.
07
In 2023, the EU’s HFC phase-down trajectory targets a 95% reduction by 2036 from the 2008–2014 baseline, affecting refrigeration emissions in grocery.
Interpretation
Policy & Regulation Interpretation
Under Policy and Regulation, the EU is tightening sustainability rules with clear numerical targets, from cutting fertilizer use by 20% and pesticides by 50% by 2030 to requiring all packaging to be recyclable by 2030, alongside stricter climate and refrigeration measures.
03 · Category
Waste & Waste Reduction3 stats
01
In the U.S., 36% of all food wasted by the supply chain occurs at retail (including grocery), according to EPA’s food waste characterization.
02
In the EU, packaging waste was 173.6 kg per person in 2022, informing grocery packaging sustainability and recycling performance.
03
The U.S. EPA’s Food Recovery Hierarchy states source reduction first, followed by feeding hungry people, then feeding animals, industrial uses, and landfilling last—guiding grocery waste programs.
Interpretation
Waste & Waste Reduction Interpretation
Waste and waste reduction efforts in grocery need to prioritize the retail stage because 36% of U.S. food wasted by the supply chain occurs at retail, even as packaging waste in the EU reached 173.6 kg per person in 2022.
04 · Category
Climate & Emissions3 stats
01
IPCC AR6 reports that global greenhouse-gas emissions are higher than at any time in at least the last 800,000 years, providing the emissions context for grocery decarbonization goals.
02
IKEA’s Better Homes, Better Planet strategy targets a 2030 climate footprint reduction, demonstrating grocery retail supply chain direction (quantified goal in report).
03
Methane has 28–36 times the global warming potential of CO2 over 100 years (depending on the assessment), influencing the emissions urgency of diverting food waste from landfills.
Interpretation
Climate & Emissions Interpretation
For the Climate and Emissions angle, the IPCC reports that greenhouse gas emissions are higher than at any time in at least the last 800,000 years, while methane’s 28 to 36 times higher warming potential over 100 years and IKEA’s 2030 climate footprint reduction target underline how urgent it is for grocery supply chains to cut emissions now.
More related reading
05 · Category
Consumer Adoption1 stats
01
Kantar reports that 67% of consumers are willing to change their buying habits to reduce environmental impact, supporting demand-side adoption of greener grocery products.
Interpretation
Consumer Adoption Interpretation
Kantar finds that 67% of consumers are willing to change their buying habits to reduce environmental impact, showing strong consumer adoption potential for sustainability efforts in grocery.
06 · Category
Energy & Efficiency2 stats
01
In the EU, the Ecodesign for Energy-Related Products framework supports energy efficiency improvements across appliances and equipment used in grocery stores and distribution.
02
IEA estimates that improving energy efficiency can deliver about 40% of the emissions reductions needed by 2030 to meet climate goals (energy efficiency leverage relevant to grocery).
Interpretation
Energy & Efficiency Interpretation
In the Energy and Efficiency category, the EU Ecodesign framework is actively enabling energy efficiency gains, while the IEA estimates that such improvements could account for roughly 40% of the emissions reductions Europe needs by 2030 to hit its climate targets.
07 · Category
Performance Metrics2 stats
01
The U.S. material recovery rate for plastics packaging was 8.7% in 2022 (recycling rate).
02
Globally, only 9% of plastic waste is recycled (share, estimate).
Interpretation
Performance Metrics Interpretation
From a performance metrics standpoint, plastic packaging recycling remains very low with only 8.7% of plastics recovered in the US in 2022 and just 9% of plastic waste recycled globally, showing sustainability performance is still lagging.
report visual · Comparison
Key Sustainability Levers in Grocery (Across Regions)
Grocery sustainability is driven by energy transition, packaging waste, and refrigeration climate impacts—while major consumer and policy changes accelerate adoption.
In the EU, packaging waste was 173.6 kg per person in 2022, informing grocery packaging sustainability and recycling per173.6
In 2023, the EU’s HFC phase-down trajectory targets a 95% reduction by 2036 from the 2008–2014 baseline, affecting refri95%
In the U.S., 36% of all food wasted by the supply chain occurs at retail (including grocery), according to EPA’s food wa36%
In the European Union, the share of renewable energy in gross final energy consumption was 22.1% in 2019, providing cont22.1%
Globally, only 9% of plastic waste is recycled (share, estimate).9%
source-verifiedec.europa.eu · epa.gov · oecd.org · eur-lex.europa.eu2023
Reference
Cite This Report
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APA
Rachel Svensson. (2026, February 13). Sustainability In The Grocery Industry Statistics. Gitnux. https://gitnux.org/sustainability-in-the-grocery-industry-statistics
MLA
Rachel Svensson. "Sustainability In The Grocery Industry Statistics." Gitnux, 13 Feb 2026, https://gitnux.org/sustainability-in-the-grocery-industry-statistics.
Chicago
Rachel Svensson. 2026. "Sustainability In The Grocery Industry Statistics." Gitnux. https://gitnux.org/sustainability-in-the-grocery-industry-statistics.
Sources & references
20 datasets cited across this report · attribution is report-level
+10 additional datasets cited (not shown individually)