The UK’s leading redistributor and retailer of surplus products has released its annual Impact Report, shining a light on the power of a circular economy and revealing it has hit the milestone of redistributing 1 billion items since its launch.

The Impact Report reveals that in the last 12 months alone:

• 47,000 tonnes of food and drink were redistributed by Company Shop Group

• 117million individual units have been redistributed, saving 121,0000 tonnes of Co2.

• For members shopping in its Company Shop ‘Surplus Supermarkets’ and social enterprise Community Shop stores, this has meant a saving of £137million on shopping bills.

The group delivers financial, environmental and social impact by working closely with more than 800 retailers, manufacturers and brands, helping them to meet their own sustainability targets with trackable results and measurable outcomes and paying £51million to these partners for surplus goods over the last 12 months - £219million in the last five years.

Chris Burns, Group Managing Director of Company Shop Group, says: “Each year, the UK produces around 10.7million tonnes of food waste, presenting a potentially catastrophic threat to our planet, contributing significantly to carbon emissions and the unnecessary use of natural resources.

“Our purpose has always been clear, to stop surplus becoming waste by creating an effective and easy solution for the industry to redistribute surplus, at scale. Every product saved from waste represents not just an environmental win, but a practical demonstration that surplus can be managed differently and I am immensely proud of what Company Shop Group continues to achieve - not only this year, but over more than five decades of pioneering work to tackle food loss and waste.”

Company Shop Group’s Unique model has been in operation since 1974 when it first started opening staff shop on partners factory sites. Since then, it has invested heavily to maximise the value of goods initially perceived as waste. Paying its growing portfolio of partners for surplus stocks means an immediate reinvestment back into their businesses: £219m was paid to partners over the last five years while ‘waste’ was turned into a valuable asset, preventing unnecessary loss, supporting the circular economy and maintaining the value of food for as long as possible. 

Continued innovation, expert product interventions, and partner collaborations have resulted in year-on-year increases in surplus items being redistributed, saving more money for those partners while delivering a huge cost saving, with members saving £137 million on their shopping the last 12 months.

Each year the UK generates approximately 10.7million tonnes of food waste causing huge negative impact on the environment and contributing towards climate change. Redistributing surplus products, in line with the food waste hierarchy, not only helps reduce unnecessary environmental impact, but also gets food where it was intended, on people's plates.

Millions of people across the UK are living in food insecurity. Company Shop Group’s award-winning social enterprise, Community Shop, provides access to affordable food and household goods while maintaining dignity and autonomy. Profits are reinvested back into its Community Hubs and Kitchens to create wraparound support helping people grow in confidence, learn new skills and reconnect with each other. 

Chris concludes: “The last 12 months has been hugely successful for us: we have expanded our network, welcomed new partners, pushed the issue of food waste further up the political agenda and supported thousands more people by launching more Community Shops. I want to thank all of our partners and our amazing colleagues who have help deliver such positive impact.”