Our work on carbon footprinting lies in three main areas:
1. AB Agri, whose mission is to develop sustainable agricultural practices, is a pioneer in carbon footprinting. In the UK, the business developed the world’s first carbon footprinting model for dairy farms. This enables farmers, should they wish, to measure the environmental impact of individual feeds and rations on their dairy herds which are responsible for producing about 10% of all UK greenhouse gases (methane, nitrous oxide and CO2). The conversion of feed materials into meat is the biggest contributor to the total carbon output per kilo of meat.
This model was developed using the UK’s Carbon Trust PAS 2050 methodology for measuring embedded greenhouse gas emissions, and has since received several accolades including the IGD Environmental Award and the Green Apple Award for the Environment. Sainsbury’s used the model with 325 dairy farmers and not only cut greenhouse gas emissions per litre of milk but also made financial savings. Therefore this year the scheme was extended to Sainsbury’s suppliers of beef, lamb, pork, poultry and eggs, as well as Cheddar cheese. AB Agri has completed the beef and lamb greenhouse gas models and on-farm assessments are now under way.
Producing food in an efficient and sustainable manner is increasingly vital, and this initiative represents another key differentiation point when compared to our worldwide supply competitors, adding value to British agriculture.
“We are extremely impressed with the greenhouse gas technical tool AB Agri has developed. The reports generated give the producers detailed technical feedback that will enable them to identify how they can reduce their greenhouse gas emissions and possibly how they can make a more profitable farm enterprise from doing so. Having both a producer and an external appraisal, they combine farmer motivation with sound measurement.”
Richard Perkins, WWF UK
2. British Sugar and our Silver Spoon brand were pilot partners with the Carbon Trust in developing the PAS 2050 standard. Silver Spoon used it to analyse the carbon footprint of its home-grown granulated sugar.
Meanwhile, the carbon footprints of our Topsoil and LimeX brands, soil improvers supplied to the landscape and amenity industries, are also now certified according to PAS 2050. Topsoil produces 9kg of CO2 per tonne of product and LimeX 2kg per tonne.
British Sugar has a target to reduce the carbon footprints of Silver Spoon, Topsoil and LimeX products by 10% by 2020.
The sugar carbon footprint (%)
In October 2008, British Sugar became the first sugar manufacturer in the world to certify the carbon footprint of granulated sugar using the new PAS 2050 method.
3. Kingsmill was the first bread manufacturer in the UK to use the Carbon Trust’s carbon reduction label. This involved carbon analysis of over 3,000 suppliers. The label is now carried on Kingsmill’s three best-selling loaves, showing the carbon footprint of each and demonstrating the brand’s commitment to reducing them over the next two years. The footprints are as follows:
- Great Everyday White (800g) – 1.3kg CO2 per loaf;
- Tasty Wholemeal (800g) – 1.3kg CO2 per loaf; and
- 50:50 (800g) – 1.2kg CO2 per loaf.
The difference in footprints is due mainly to ingredients, with the bulk of the carbon footprint found to be in the production of the raw materials and manufacturing process.
Continued use of the Carbon Trust label requires a commitment to further reductions in the carbon footprint of the product where possible. Work to date includes installing intelligent lighting and electricity demand control systems, reducing the amount of compressed air used in bakeries, and replacing old machinery with new energy-efficient equipment.
We have reduced the distance loaves need to travel by making more bread locally, saving 900,000 miles in the past two years. In the supply chain, Allied Bakeries encouraged its flour supplier to deliver flour to bakeries in Glasgow and Cardiff by rail, reducing road travel by a further 500,000 miles a year. This progress was recognised in September 2010 by an award from the UK Chartered Institute of Purchasing & Supply for Best Contribution to Corporate Responsibility.