Rethinking our operations

If we’re to achieve net zero emissions by 2050 we’ll need to make major changes to the ways we source and manufacture our products. But we’ve already made a start.

Since 2007, we’ve reduced our greenhouse gas emissions by 61% in the UK and Ireland, through a combination of greater energy efficiency and moving  to renewable energy.

Since 2016, all of our factories and offices in the UK and Ireland transitioned to 100% renewable grid-supplied electricity by investing in the development of new wind power capacity.

• We started with an onshore wind farm at Sanquhar (Dumfries and Galloway) in Scotland, which came onstream in 2018. And we achieved our goal in 2020 with a second windfarm off the North East Coast.
• Each wind farm provides 50% of our UK power consumption, approximately 125GWh a year. That’s enough renewable electricity to power 60,000 homes. By doing this, we’re contributing directly to the de-carbonising of the UK and Ireland’s electricity supply.

We have also invested in renewable technologies to generate our own green energy, such as solar panels, hydropower, anaerobic digestion and biomass boilers.

In the UK & Ireland, we’ve achieved a 61% reduction in greenhouse gas emissions since 2007.

We’ve done this through:
Setting energy targets – by setting ambitious targets with clear milestones and conducting regular energy audits we’ve been able to optimise our spend and actions that have led to year-on-year improvements in our sustainability goals.
Integrated investment – we now integrate our investments in new assets to incorporate technologies that will minimise our environmental footprint and not compromise on production output.

Transport and distribution – fuelled by ambition

A key part of our 2050 ambition is a cleaner, leaner logistics network. We’re optimising routes, filling vehicles more efficiently and working with logistics providers to switch to low emission fuels – green electricity, green hydrogen, liquified natural gas and biofuels made from waste rather than virgin crops.

We’re also reducing carbon emissions by moving more freight by rail and intermodal transport options. Our warehouses are minimising energy consumption by switching to renewable electricity and reducing waste.