Sustainability is extremely important to us, we are constantly evolving our business to ensure we are improving our carbon footprint and moving closer to our target of manufacturing at net zero.
This can be seen across a variety of procedures and departments within the company including our ‘Milk Producers Contract’, carbon footprint reduction, accreditations, and our investment in environmentally friendly infrastructure.
Milk Producers Contract
We have a bespoke contract with 150 milk suppliers that guarantees that all milk used for manufacturing our cheese originates from within a 50-mile radius of our site in Newcastle Emlyn, Wales. This not only significantly reduces and maintains the carbon footprint of our products but also supports the local economy and employment.
Carbon Footprint Reduction
We are part of the Dairy UK climate carbon reduction plan requiring which requires us to report annually on our CO2 production.
To monitor environmental development, our teams hold a bi-monthly sustainability meeting to measure progress against the target and to continually develop strategies to further reduce the CO2/per tonne of cheese output.
We are proud to have met all targets in the last 10 years.
Accreditations
We are accredited by the British Retail Consortium (BRC) and Red Tractor that not only assesses food safety and quality, but also monitors our environmental impact reduction and responsibility.
Environmental Infrastructure
Our milk processing plant in Wales has one billion litres of milk supply available from the surrounding 50-mile radius. Milk is 90 per cent water, we process the milk at our plant, rather than transporting it to another part of the UK for production, crucial for the reduction of food miles and minimisation of water exportation.
Since Brexit, we have managed our supply base to ensure we are using UK suppliers as much as possible for packaging and ingredients. Not only is this more environmentally friendly but it also makes us less susceptible to global supply chain risk.
We have invested in a state-of-the-art manufacturing facility in Gloucestershire that is one of the most advanced of its kind in the UK. Incorporated into the build was solar energy production, water recovery, heat recovery for process and office heating and passive cooling for offices and other staff areas. Utilisation of BAT construction materials and processes was included to minimise heat loss and energy consumption, as well as the incorporation of energy pumps, compressors, and thermally efficient processes.
Bigger plans in the future will see the integration of solar technology, LED lighting and a water recovery system to develop a production facility that is self-sufficient and removed from the main national grid.