A flurry of new businesses, including high profile firms such as Boots and Nando's, have signed up to the voluntary Courtauld Commitment 2025 since its launch in March, waste advisory body WRAP confirmed this week.

The 30 new additions to the agreement, which also include Subway and Iceland, bring the total number of signatories to around 130 and mean the initiative now covers 95 per cent of the food retail market.

A number of local authorities including City of Cardiff Council and Hampshire County Council have also signed up to the agreement in recent months, as well as manufacturers such as Quorn and Penguin and trade organisations including the British Institute for Facilities Management (BIFM) and the Soil Association.