Knowledge Transfer Partnership (KTP)

Asda has become the first food retailer in the country to measure how much customers can save by cutting back on food waste, thanks to a Knowledge Transfer Partnership (KTP) with the University of Leeds. The idea behind the KTP was for the university, using Asda's customer insight data, to apply its research to identify, investigate and implement ways of helping customers to reduce their food waste. This was one of the first times that a major retailer had tried to deliver large-scale sustainability changes, with the two-year project seen as a way for Asda to position themselves as true innovators in this area.

The campaign focused on providing customers with advice on everything from food storage and labelling, to creative recipes for leftovers. Meanwhile, in-store events encouraged customers to make changes in their own homes. In fact, two million customers have said they will make changes to how they deal with food waste in their own homes, leading to an average saving of 57 pounds per customer, as well as a reduction in waste.

A key aspect of a KTP is that an associate is employed by the University to work in the firm and help deliver the desired outcomes of the KTP. As part of the collaboration with Asda, Laure Babbs was given the task of driving forward the sustainability changes in the retailer. As result of the success of her work, Laura eventually became a permanent member of the team at Asda.