The World Health Organization (WHO) has called for a further assessment of microplastics in the environment and their potential impacts on human health, following the release of an analysis of current research related to microplastics in drinking-water. The Organization also calls for a reduction in plastic pollution to benefit the environment and reduce human exposure.
“We […]
Molson Coors in the UK and Ireland is removing the plastic packaging from its Carling and Coors Light brands, as part of new global packaging goals. The brewer will remove the plastic film wrap from large multipacks by the end of March 2020, replacing the plastic wrap with 100% recyclable fully enclosed carton board. By […]
Dawn Meats, one of Europe’s leading meat processors, has cut its CO2 emissions by 33% just four years into a ten-year strategy to reduce the company’s environmental impact. Publishing its second Group CSR report, Dawn provided a progress update on its ambitious targets to reduce water and energy intensity by 40% and CO2 emission intensity […]
Cow manure can do a lot more than create wrinkly noses. It is poised to be pivotal in a biogas revolution and contribute to a fossil-free fuel future. Pioneering Arla Foods farmers are starting to make the most of their cow’s manure by turning it into biogas, which is now powering an Arla milk truck […]
A group of farmers from the Arla Foods dairy co-operative have launched a trial initiative to see whether their efforts for environmentally friendly dairy farming can be broadened to help increase wild bee populations given the crucial role they play in supporting our ecosystems. The news follows the recent UN report which revealed one million […]
British consumers are increasingly eating with a conscience as latest research from Mintel reveals that last year the nation spent £8.2 billion on ethical food and drink, including organic, Fairtrade, Rainforest Alliance and Marine Stewardship Council (MSC) certified products. Over the past five years, sales of ethical food and drink have shot up by 43% […]
A bold new industry campaign has been launched to tackle nearly £3 billion worth of food that is wasted every year across the entire UK hospitality and food service sector, of which 75% could have been eaten. The Guardians of Grub campaign was developed by WRAP as part of its ambitious work to cut food […]
ABP Renewables Division, Olleco, the UK’s leading supplier of cooking oils and collector of used cooking oils, has become the first dedicated circular economy company to be granted a Royal Warrant by Her Majesty The Queen. The Warrant recognises the company’s work to create a ‘closed loop’ solution for the Royal Household.
Olleco supplies fresh, sustainable […]
A UK engineering company specialising in the scientific bio-degradation of waste has formed a partnership with UNTHA shredding technology, to roll out a sophisticated aerobic digestion solution for a selection of mixed waste streams. Bath-headquartered Advetec has treated a variety of waste and effluent, since it was established in 2000. But keen to develop a […]
Each year around 20% of food produced in the EU is lost or wasted, causing unacceptable social, environmental and economic harm. The EU is committed to solving this problem and putting its food system onto a sustainable path. To be able to take effective action, we need more data on food waste than we currently […]
Müller Milk & Ingredients (MMI) is set to reduce plastic use by 400 tonnes per annum whilst substantially cutting food waste and distribution costs as it simplifies its range of fresh milk and cream products. The SKU (Stock Keeping Unit) rationalisation programme, part of MMI’s Darwin project, could see the company pare down the 835 […]
Valio is the most sustainable brand in Finland for the sixth consecutive year, if you ask consumers. The 2019 Sustainable Brand Index survey measured the sustainability of European and Finnish brands.
According to the consumers participating in the survey, the best things about Valio are its Finnish milk, its attention to animal welfare, and its environmentally […]
Two-thirds (67%) of consumers support the idea of a recognisable carbon label to demonstrate that products have been made with a commitment to measuring and reducing their carbon footprint, according to new international research released by the Carbon Trust.
The YouGov study of more than 9,000 consumers, across the USA, UK, Italy, Canada, Spain, the Netherlands […]
As environmental awareness reaches new heights and the world’s population continues to rise, the issue of providing sustainable foods which also offer a high nutritional value is set to grow, in both importance and complexity, over the next decade. It is with these considerations in mind that Vitafoods Europe 2019 has developed its agenda. The […]
Budweiser, the world’s most valuable beer brand, is to be brewed with renewable electricity as AB InBev UK has signed a deal with Europe’s largest solar energy company, Lightsource BP, to purchase 100% renewable electricity for its UK operations. The 15-year power purchase agreement (PPA) will roll out 100 megawatts of solar power, making it […]
Cargill has outlined its plan to eliminate deforestation from its cocoa supply chain. The Protect Our Planet plan provides concrete actions the company is taking to achieve 100 percent cocoa bean traceability and includes a commitment of “no further conversion” of any forest land in Ghana and Ivory Coast for cocoa production. It also expands the company’s […]
Every business wants to produce the finest quality products at the lowest possible cost. Every business wants to reduce energy consumption to save money and help protect the wider environment. The merging of two technologies from GEA, the S-Tec and A-Tec spiral freezer with CALLIFREEZE® and GEA heat pumps, is now enabling food processing companies […]
Harrogate Water has joined the elite of the most ambitious and environmentally committed companies across the world. The awarding of the international standard ISO 14001:2015 for environmental management marks another major milestone for the business in 2018 following the historic switch to using more than 50 per cent recycled content in its PET bottles in June.
It […]
Single-use plastic items such as plates, cutlery, straws, balloon sticks or cotton buds, will be banned in the EU. These products, which make up over 70% of marine litter, will be banned from the EU market from 2021, under draft plans approved by the European Parliament.
MEPs added to this list of plastics banned from the […]
Over 90% of sampled salt brands globally were found to contain microplastics, with the highest number coming from salt sourced in Asia, according to a new study co-designed by Kim, Seung-Kyu, Professor at Incheon National University and Greenpeace (www.Greenpeace.org) East Asia.[1]
The study, which has been published in Environmental Science & Technology, a peer-reviewed scientific journal, […]
As a manufacturer of speciality cheeses, Swiss dairy group Emmi is now setting an example for environmental protection by investing in a high-performance photovoltaic system at its Platteville site in the state of Wisconsin in the US. With 1,600 panels installed on the roof, the system can cover 15% of the company’s electricity requirement. The […]
Britvic has announced that from October 2018, every Britvic manufacturing site in Great Britain, from its offices to warehouses and factories, will be powered by 100% renewable electricity. The move forms part of a new four-year deal with energy provider E.ON, which will provide power needs for the whole of Britvic’s business operations in Great […]
One of the UK’s leading suppliers of branded soft drinks is enjoying substantial environmental savings, thanks to the use of CHEP’s pooled pallets within its supply chain. In early 2017, the owner of brands such as IRN-BRU, Rubicon and Strathmore, signed a three-year contract renewal with CHEP, the supply chain solutions company, and is now […]
Truly Grass Fed™ – a natural dairy ingredients range from Glanbia Ireland – has recently been Certified Animal Welfare Approved by A Greener World (AGW), the leading animal welfare label in North America (and now operating in Europe). Launched in 2016, TGF is a range of natural dairy ingredients from Glanbia Ireland made with milk […]
Nespresso has announced a long-term investment plan to help revive Zimbabwe’s coffee industry and stimulate the rural economy. The company will provide training and technical assistance to 400 smallholder coffee farmers over the next five years, with the goal of increasing the country’s production of quality sustainable coffee.
Zimbabwe’s coffee sector is in danger of disappearing […]
Carlsberg has announced a series of ground-breaking innovations including its new Snap Pack, which is set to reduce plastic waste globally by more than 1200 tonnes a year – the equivalent to 60 million plastic bags. The Snap Pack replaces the plastic wrapping used around Carlsberg’s six packs with a pioneering technology that glues its […]
Bakkafrost has underlined the growing importance to the UK market of its expanding salmon farming operation, the largest in the Faroe Islands, with the publication of a two year plan which addresses important sustainability issues.
Against a background of very high (96%) customer satisfaction, the employment of more than 1,100 people on the islands and the […]
New green recycling messaging on PET bottles heralds Harrogate Spring’s industry-leading switch to recycled content. All PET bottles of Harrogate Spring are now made using more than 50 per cent rPET, the highest percentage use of UK post-consumer recycled PET of any water producer.
Brand manager Nicky Cain says: “Consumers may notice a slight blue, glass-like […]
Mondelēz International has reported important progress against its 2020 impact goals in its 2017 Impact For Growth Progress Report. The report details progress against sustainable agriculture and environmental footprint goals, as well as global expansion of healthy lifestyle and nutrition programs in at risk communities. The report also illustrates how the company’s impact programs align with and […]
More than half of consumers in the UK and a third in the US are in favour of a tax on all plastic packaging on food products, new research has shown. The survey of 1,000 consumers, commissioned by specialist PR consultancy Ingredient Communications, also finds that many people are more likely to shop in supermarkets […]
Food waste is an issue that affects everyone, whether at home or at work. It is also a particular concern for businesses in the Irish hospitality and food service sector. According to GHP.ie who have been working with the Irish Hotel Sector on sustainability and resource efficiency for the past 15 years, “the average quantity […]
GEA has worked with Almarai Company in Saudi Arabia to build the nation’s largest and most modern dairy processing facility. The new plant at Al Kharj includes multiple production lines for a wide range of milk and yoghurt products. It has the capacity to process two million liters of milk a day. The project has already […]
With the launch of the UK Plastics Pact to address the impact plastic waste is having on the environment, retailers and manufacturers are more conscious of single use and non-recyclable plastics and want to cater for the green consumer. The industry is turning to various kinds of eco-friendly packaging with the aim of reducing plastic […]
Tetra Pak now obtains half of its global electricity supply from renewable sources, putting the company firmly on course to meet its RE100 commitment of using only renewable electricity across all global operations by 2030. In the past two years alone, the company’s use of renewable electricity has increased by a factor of 2.5, up from […]
Nestlé, the world’s largest food and drink company, has opened a new wind farm at Sanquhar in Dumfries and Galloway, Scotland. The farm, developed in partnership with energy business Community Windpower, is made up of nine turbines which, combined, are now producing around 125 GWh of power per annum. That is enough to supply half […]
One in ten pollinating insects is on the verge of extinction, and a third of bee and butterfly species is declining. This is why the European Commission is proposing the first-ever EU initiative to address the decline of wild pollinating insects. The new measures include a new indicator to improve monitoring and data, and better […]
Harrogate Spring has become the number one bottled water brand in the UK’s £2.7 billion food service soft drinks category and the number eight soft drinks brand in the sector. Value growth of more than 20% last year, five times the overall category, has seen Harrogate Spring leapfrog soft drinks Lucozade and Oasis.
Sales and marketing […]
Mondelēz International has announced its ambition to expand the Harmony program, the company’s sustainable wheat sourcing initiative, to cover 100 percent of its biscuit brands in the European Union by 2022, up from 60 percent of the company’s biscuit production in EU last year.
“European consumers increasingly equate high-quality products with sustainable production. They’re aware of […]
Highland Spring Group, the UK’s largest supplier and producer of natural source bottled water, is enjoying significant environmental savings thanks to the use of CHEP’s pooled pallets within its supply chain. Last year, the owner of brands such as Highland Spring, Speyside Glenlivet and Hydr8, signed a three-year contract renewal with CHEP, the supply chain […]
Unilever has revealed its fourth consecutive year of growth for its ‘sustainable living’ brands, which grew 46% faster than the rest of the business and delivered 70% of its turnover growth. All of Unilever’s brands are on a journey towards reducing their environmental footprint and increasing their positive social impact. Sustainable living brands are those […]
Irish and international food group Dawn Meats has been awarded the McDonald’s Global “Scale for Good” Award. This Global award is a first for McDonald’s and is the second occasion where Dawn Meats sustainability credentials have been recognised by the McDonald’s Global Leadership Team.
The award recognises the key leadership role that Dawn Meats has played […]
Nestlé Waters has announced a SFr25 million (€21 million) modernisation of its bottling site at Henniez, Switzerland. The investment will allow the Henniez site to continue to meet demand for its popular mineral water. Bottled water is a high-growth category for Nestlé.
Production at Henniez will become more flexible and innovative in order to meet current […]
Faerch Plast UK, one of the leading manufacturers of plastic packaging for the food industry, has signed up to the UK Plastics Pact, a bold and unique initiative set to transform the UK plastic industry. By bringing together the entire plastics value chain behind a common set of ambitious targets, the new Pact will move the […]
The well-established plastic packaging manufacturer Measom Freer is proud to announce it has achieved the BSI ISO 14001:2015 Certificate in Environmental Management. The company believes it has a moral duty to protect the natural environment and they are committed to minimising their global impact as a business by improving resource efficiency, reducing waste and reducing costs.
They ensure their […]
Tetra Pak aims to launch a paper straw that is suitable for its portion-sized carton packages before the end of the year, as part of a broader programme to help address the issue of plastic straw waste. Straws play an integral functional role on portion packages, but if not properly disposed of, they then become […]
Unnecessary single-use plastic packaging will be a thing of the past as businesses sign up to a world-first pact, which aims to transform the plastic packaging system in the UK and keep plastic in the economy and out of the ocean. The UK Plastics Pact, launched by sustainability experts WRAP, is a unique collaboration which […]
ABP Food Group’s Renewables Division, Olleco, has announced the acquisition of an anaerobic digestion (AD) facility at Westcott Park, Buckinghamshire in England from Renewi plc, a leading waste-to-product business, for an undisclosed sum. The facility has capacity to process 96,000 tonnes of food waste each year and produce up to 3.2 Mw of green electricity […]
Following months of in-depth research, UK-based packaging and paper company, DS Smith, believes it has found a solution to the coffee cup recycling challenge. Using its state-of-the-art paper mill in Kent, the company believes it could recycle up to the 2.5 billion cups discarded by British coffee lovers each year.
Peter Clayson, General Manager for DS […]
Unilever has announced that its PG tips tea bags will be made with new plant-based material that is 100% renewable and biodegradable. Unlike polypropylene the new material is made from corn starch and is fully biodegradable. The aim is that all tea bags manufactured will use the new material by the end of 2018.
Noel Clarke, […]
In a landmark move towards achieving a circular economy, Harrogate Water, Britain’s oldest bottled water brand, has announced it has successfully secured sufficient availability of recycled PET (rPET), to ensure all product shall contain 50 per cent recycled content from April 2018.
The amount of recycled PET content, all guaranteed UK post-consumer supply, will match that […]
According to research by the MacArthur Foundation (EMF), merely 14 percent of the plastic packaging used globally makes its way to recycling plants, while 40 percent ends up in landfill and only 1/3 in fragile ecosystems. By 2050, it is estimated there will be more plastic than fish in the world’s oceans. Contributing to the transformation […]
Cranswick plc, one of Britain’s leading suppliers of premium food, has vowed a significant drive to reduce plastic waste within the UK starting with a pledge that all packaging used will be 100% recyclable and sustainably sourced and in addition, to also reduce the group’s plastic use by 50% by 2025.
Cranswick believes that big change is […]
The European Commission has launched a public consultation on a European initiative on pollinators. Wild pollinators such as bees, butterflies and many other insects pollinate crops and wild plants, so that they can bear fruit and seed. An estimated €15 billion of annual EU agricultural output is directly attributed to pollinators.
Commissioner for the Environment, Maritime […]
A Yorkshire-based gin and whisky distillery is one of only three in England to be run solely on green energy. As England’s smallest and first self-built whisky and gin distillery, Cooper King Distillery will commence production of its juniper-led gin and open its doors to members of the public this spring, the whisky distillation will follow […]
