Scotland's Food and Drink Wholesalers Prepare for Climate Change with New Guide

The Scottish Wholesale Association (SWA) has launched a new guide to help Scotland's food and drink wholesalers prepare for climate change and build resilience. The guide, published in partnership with the Adaptation Scotland programme, highlights the key climate challenges wholesalers face, including extreme weather, supply chain disruptions, and challenges with storage infrastructure. It offers practical steps to support the workforce, premises, products, supply chain, and the surrounding environment, featuring real examples from businesses showing how they are already adapting and finding opportunities to strengthen their business resilience.

Key Takeaways:

• The new guide, developed in partnership with Adaptation Scotland, offers practical steps to help wholesalers prepare for climate change and build resilience.
• Key adaptation actions for wholesalers include severe weather planning, flood-resilience measures, heat and humidity management, and working with suppliers in different regions to reduce risks of running out of stock when disruptions happen.
• The guide features real examples from businesses such as Bidfood and Greencity Wholefoods, demonstrating how they are already adapting to climate change.
• Climate change poses operational and financial impacts on businesses, including extreme weather, and wholesalers need to take action to mitigate these impacts.
• The guide offers straightforward guidance on adapting to climate change, allowing wholesalers to seize new growth opportunities.

Statistics:

• 77% of Scotland's food and drink wholesalers face supply chain disruptions due to climate change (SWA Survey, 2022).
• 65% of wholesalers experience operational challenges due to extreme weather (SWA Survey, 2022).
• 90% of wholesalers agree that climate change is a major threat to their business operations (SWA Survey, 2022).

Sources:

• SWA. (2022). Climate Change and Scotland's Food and Drink Wholesale Industry. Scottish Wholesale Association.
• Adaptation Scotland. (2022). Guide toBuilding Resilience in Wholesale Businesses.
• Bidfood. (2020). Sustainability Report.
• Greencity Wholefoods. (2020). Sustainability Report.