With global fast-moving consumer goods (FMCG) companies, retailers, restaurants, hotels and catering companies becoming increasingly aware of growing demand from consumers, regulators and pressure groups for sustainably produced, high quality and affordable food, signposts are needed to show that a brand is making progress on their sustainability journey, and therefore worth sourcing from.
All eyes were on the sustainability category at the recent Bord Bia Food and Drinks Awards, fast becoming one of the most prestigious brackets of the night. Of 160 submissions in eight categories, 40 were for this category.
A Bord Bia award for sustainability, particularly given growing awareness of the Origin Green program, is just such a sign post, and a quality mark of reassurance for food buyers.
Shortlisted in this category were:
Island Seafoods Ltd. This family-run business implemented a groundbreaking scheme in which seafood processing waste was donated to farmers for use as compost in the surrounding areas, leading to significant seed growth.
ABP Food Group. One of Europe’s leading beef exporters, ABP have opened bespoke biodiversity areas at each of their five plants across Ireland.
Dawn Meats Group. The 2nd generation beef and lamb producers based in Co. Waterford have reduced their water and energy intensities as well as their direct carbon footprint by over a third since joining Origin Green.
Glanbia Ingredients Ireland. A dairy ingredients processor since 1967, GII reduced the volume of mains water used in their whey plant by over a millon litres per day during peak production times.
Meade Potato Company. Despite an impressive operation which includes production of over 100 lines of potatoes, vegetables and fruits, this Meath-based company was able to reach a zero food waste policy as far back as 2013.
Boortmalt. The largest producer of malt in Ireland, Boortmalt IRL have implemented initiatives which led to an increase in malting output and yield, while simultaneously decreasing both energy and water consumption.
Judges cited a strategic and holistic approach to sustainability, acting as a catalyst for innovation, as being key to success in this field.
The winners
In the end, the competition was so close that judges deemed it necessary to crown two winners; Island Seafoods, and Glanbia Ingredients Ireland (GII), both of which had impressed by embedding sustainability deep into their DNA, positively affecting every aspect of their business.
Sustainability is a key focus across GII’s five manufacturing plants, with on-farm sustainability targets delivered by the Glanbia milk advisory team who work closely with GII milk suppliers in the areas of quality, environmental and financial best practice as defined in the company’s Open Source Sustainability and Quality Assurance code.
“It was very obvious on the night that the sustainability award was the one to win, the one that all the focus was on,” said Audrey O’Shea, sustainability manager of Glanbia Ingredients Ireland.
“Our ethos at GII is to constantly do more with less. Within our operations we are very focused on continuous improvement. Our aim is to sustainably convert quality milk from our 4800 suppliers into quality dairy ingredients supplied into the infant, clinical, sports and nutritional markets around the globe. GII is essentially an ambassador for our milk suppliers, and our employees take great pride in their work both on farm and in the plants. Every element of GII was represented in our application, so everyone is absolutely thrilled.”
Joint winner Island Seafoods were also delighted to receive an award, and business development manager Michael O’Donnell credits his company’s long-term commitment to sustainability as a key to victory.
“We started off with a waste water treatment facility in the early nineties, bringing our discharge water BOD (biochemical oxygen demand) down to levels required by local authorities” said O’Donnell, speaking from Island Seafoods head office in Kiltybegs, Donegal.
“The next stage came in 2000, where we designed a hydropower station on a small river beside the plant, which has been generating 70MW per year since 2006, saving 360 tonnes of carbon per year. Low energy lighting was installed in 2009, reducing power consumption by two-thirds. 10 site-lights in the yard were replaced with low-energy site-lights, giving a carbon reduction of 750 kilos of carbon a year. Some people would say, a light is a light; there are always savings there to be had”.
Island Seafoods long history of sustainability made them a perfect candidate for Origin Green certification, as they were already 65% compliant by the time they applied for membership. For both winners, their Origin Green certification is both an important business tool and a badge of honour.
The impact of Origin Green certification
“What the Origin Green program has done for Glanbia, internally, is raise awareness on what’s being done, and keep our focus on what has to be done in the future”, explained O’Shea.
“In the marketplace, it offers a credible third-party verification, demonstrating to our customers both our achievements in the past and our ambition and our intent into the future”.
For companies looking to replicate their award-winning success, both O’Shea and O’Donnell have very clear advice.
“They need to start their program from an efficiency perspective, because you will always get traction when there are savings to be made” said O’Shea.
“But also, making savings is the right thing to do. There’s no point in burning energy or letting machinery idle; it’s a waste of energy, a waste of money, and you’re creating harmful carbon emissions unnecessarily. Climate change is coming down the track; you can see it in the storms, the flooding events, and the droughts that will all effect food supply. There’s an obligation on all of us to reduce emissions where we can, and rely on new innovations and technologies to help us”.
“In the past I’ve sent the companies that installed our waste management systems around to other businesses to demonstrate how it could benefit them” added O’Donnell.
“Some would have made huge savings, but they were too busy, or didn’t think it important. Anybody that wants any advice is more than welcome to visit the plant. I offer full demonstrations of all our methods of making reductions, and I’ll give them all the help and advice I can”.
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