Global UK-founded climate action NGO WRAP has opened its new WRAP Asia-Pacific office in Adelaide, in a partnership with Fight Food Waste Australia.
The opening cements the organisation’s first official step in becoming an international NGO, with operations already in 40 countries but the first office outside of the UK.
Claire Kneller, WRAP Asia-Pacific managing director, told PKN that Australia was the obvious choice for the first global satellite office.
"We're already working in Australia, in Indonesia, and in Vietnam. In Australia we're an active part of Fight Food Waste, we're a partner in the CRC, and involved in several other programs including the ANZPAC Plastics Pact. And so, having a hub in Australia made sense. And also, it's relatively easy to set up a new business in this country; we've had great support from the South Australian government, which has helped too."
Kneller believes there's a great opportunity for Australia to really just be a world leader in the transition to a circular economy.
"People say Australia's 10 years behind Europe. And it is, but that means you've got a massive opportunity to leapfrog some of the things that have happened in Europe, take advantage of the learnings, and really focus on what a circular economy looks like."
Kenller added, "I’m thrilled to be leading WRAP’s first overseas office and to be able to share WRAP’s expertise and experience in the race to net zero. I’m excited to be able to work closely with our partners in the region, and to seek out new, game changing initiatives that will help us address climate change."
The Asia-Pacific office, based at the Urrbrae campus at the University of Adelaide in partnership with Fight Food Waste Australia, will enable WRAP to expand its ground-breaking work in the region on food, plastics, and textiles, as well as supporting its partners in the shift to a circular economy.
The space will have a reach far beyond the immediate boundaries of Australia, with the office acting as a base for work across the Asia-Pacific region including countries such as China, Indonesia, Japan, Singapore, Vietnam, the Pacific Islands, and New Zealand.
Marcus Gover, WRAP UK CEO, said: "The opening of our new office in Australia is not just a new premises for WRAP, it is the first step in our strategy to extend our reach and increase our impact in the region. We are immensely proud of our presence in Australia and our aim is to bring people together and drive change across Australia, New Zealand, Asia and the Pacific."
WRAP is already driving change in the region by participating in initiatives including:
- Australia, New Zealand and Pacific Islands Plastic Pact
- Halving food loss and waste by leveraging economic systems Indonesia
- Malaysia Sustainable Plastics Alliance
- Love Food Hate Waste International
- Australian Food Pact
- National Clothing Product Stewardship Scheme
Founded in 2000, WRAP works with governments, citizens and some of the biggest global brands such as Google and Unilever, to create a world in which resources are used more sustainably
Among its pioneering work includes research that proved that removing unnecessary plastic packaging and best before dates on uncut fruit and vegetables could prevent 14 million shopping baskets worth of food in the UK going to waste.
One-hundred retailers, representing nearly two-thirds of clothing placed on the UK market, have also committed to a WRAP-led target to reduce the environmental impact of the textile market. The NGO is also the driving force behind the UK Plastics Pact, a world-first, which has helped reduce problematic and unnecessary plastic packaging sold in the UK by 46 per cent since 2018. WRAP has since helped develop Pacts on every inhabited continent on the planet.
Steven Lapidge, CEO at Fight Food Waste Limited, said: "Fight Food Waste is proud to host and partner with WRAP. It’s a reflection of our long-standing relationship, WRAP’s membership of the Fight Food Waste CRC (the world’s largest food waste R&D organisation) and more recently, on delivering the Australian Food Pact. I look forward to seeing WRAP Asia-Pacific grow and flourish from our shared headquarters in Adelaide."
