Supply Chain , Procurement & Technical Director , and Sustainability Steering Group Lead , Weetabix
Q . WHERE HAVE WEETABIX MADE MOST PROGRESS WHEN IT COMES TO YOUR SUSTAINABILITY AGENDA ?
» In 2022 , we completed the first carbon footprint study undertaken across some of our growers , who produce over a third of the wheat supplied to make Weetabix biscuits . It estimated that their 2021 harvest was produced with significantly lower emissions than the standard factors for UK wheat production Weetabix used in previous calculations .
The study took place amongst a sample of our Growers ’ Group and formed part of the efforts to measure our carbon footprint more accurately , working together with the wider agricultural industry to meet the sector ’ s target of achieving net-zero emissions by 2040 .
We are repeating the study for the 2022 harvest with a wider group of growers to build a robust database that provides information to our growers to enable a lower carbon supply chain .
Q . HOW IS DATA AND INTELLIGENCE USED TO FIND IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MANUFACTURING PROCESS ?
» Our inaugural carbon footprinting study demonstrated that we have reduced our carbon emissions in absolute terms by 13.8 % since 2019 . This follows on from the 24 % overall reduction achieved between 2006-2019 that we reported last year . Based on the exploratory work we have undertaken over the past year , we expect to be able to make a formal commitment to Science-Based Targets that will drive further emissions reductions up to 2030 before the end of 2022 .
This is part of our long-term macro planning for the business – but in the shorter term , smaller innovations also have a significant role to play . For example , we have progressed with our rolling programme of replacing lighting units across our sites with more energy-efficient LED alternatives and looking for opportunities to replace or upgrade electrical infrastructure across our manufacturing facilities .
A project is also underway to examine how we generate and use compressed air within our manufacturing process , with the aim of reducing its energy demand . This is after the success of our programme to capture and reuse the condensate ( steam that becomes condensation ) generated during our manufacturing process . This is predicted to reduce our annual water consumption by over 5 million litres .
Q . WHAT EFFORTS IS WEETABIX MAKING TO MAKE SURE THE SUPPLY-CHAIN SUPPORTS YOUR SUSTAINABILITY TARGETS ?
» We take care to ensure that , at every step of the journey from field to breakfast table , we are dedicated to supporting people , society and the environment through our great-tasting British products . sustainabilitymag . com 19