Retail Insights helps Lincolnshire Co-op hit ESG milestone as part of commitment to reduce food waste

By using Retail Insights’ WasteInsight solution, Lincolnshire Co-op says that it has avoided nearly 1.8 million tonnes of food waste, a rise of +6.8% compared to 2023.

In 2024, Lincolnshire Co-op implemented an enhanced version of Waste Trim.

This analyses historical data, sales patterns and expiration dates to highlight and identify products or ranges that are regularly wasted. These insights enable Lincolnshire Co-op to optimise stock assortment, minimise overstocking on frequently wasted items, meaning less produce is entering the reduced to clear (RTC) process in the first place.

Head of Food Operations, Craig Adamson, comments: “It’s been great to work alongside Retail Insight to further reduce food waste, and we’re already seeing a remarkable impact. We’re committed to looking after our local environment, and this applies to everything we do; from the way our outlets are designed, to how we source electricity. All of this, combined with our efforts to reduce waste, helps us to work towards our sustainability goals.” 

Kieran O’Brien, VP Customer Success EMEA at Retail Insight, says: “Lincolnshire Co-op is coming at its food waste reduction efforts from all angles – as well as preventing RTC items from entering landfill with dynamic markdowns, it’s using data and insights to optimise stock, cutting the volumes of produce even entering its RTC process with the Waste Trim feature. This holistic approach to food waste management is evidenced in the significant progress it has made in food waste reduction over the last year.”

2025 RTIH INNOVATION AWARDS

Green retail will be a key focus area at the 2025 RTIH Innovation Awards.

The awards, which are now open for entries, celebrate global tech innovation in a fast moving omnichannel world.

Our 2024 hall of fame entrants were revealed during an event which took place at RIBA’s 66 Portland Place HQ in Central London on 21st November, and consisted of a drinks reception, three course meal, and awards ceremony presided over by comedian Lucy Porter.

In his welcome speech, Scott Thompson, Founder and Editor, RTIH, said: “The event is now into its sixth year and what a journey it has been. The awards started life as an online only affair during the Covid outbreak, before launching as a small scale in real life event and growing year on year to the point where we’re now selling out this fine, historic venue.”

He added: “Congratulations to all of our finalists. Many submissions did not make it through to the final stage, and getting to this point is no mean feat. Checkout-free stores, automated supply chains, immersive experiences, on-demand delivery, next generation loyalty offerings, inclusive retail, green technology. We’ve got all the cool stuff covered this evening.”

“But just importantly we’ve got lots of great examples of companies taking innovative tech and making it usable in everyday operations - resulting in more efficiency and profitability in all areas.”

Congratulations to our 2024 winners, and a big thank you to our sponsors, judging panel, the legend that is Lucy Porter, and all those who attended November's gathering. 

For further information on the 2025 RTIH Innovation Awards, please fill in the below form and we will get back to you asap.