United Biscuits raises the bar on its environmental commitments

22nd March 2010, 7:20am

In its two-year-update report for environmental sustainability, United Biscuits (UB), highlights that it has had to set itself new targets in some areas because progress has exceeded expectations.

Jeff van der Eems, UB's Chief Operating Officer, said: "After just two years working towards our environmental targets we are already finding it necessary to raise the bar as we have achieved targets early. Our water target has been accomplished with ten years to spare, our transport carbon emissions target has been comfortably exceeded with three years left and we have merged our UK and Northern Europe carbon emissions target after the Northern Europe element was achieved at the beginning of 2009."

UB's 2009 sustainability achievements include: 

• Water use has reduced by 28% since 2007, exceeding the target to reduce it by 25% by 2020 ten years early. UB has now set itself a 45% reduction target for 2020.

• Transport carbon emissions have reduced by 29% since 2005, exceeding the 22% by 2012 target. A new target to reduce transport carbon emissions by 40% by 2012 has been set.

• UB achieved a 5% reduction in factory carbon emissions in 2009, making the achievement to date 28% since 1995 against a target of 35% by 2020.

• The target to achieve zero food waste to landfill by 2010 was achieved one year early.
• A 44% reduction in non-food waste to landfill was achieved in 2009. The goal to send zero non-food waste to landfill by 2015 has now been brought forward to 2012.

• Packaging has reduced by 13% since 2003, against a target of 20% by 2015.

• UB is one of the very first food manufacturers in Europe to source sustainable palm oil that is segregated throughout the supply chain. All UB products that contain palm oil will be made with certified sustainable palm oil from mid-2010. UB has also reduced the amount of palm oil used by 40% since 2005. 

UB's Achieving Sustainability 2009 Update report can be viewed at www.unitedbiscuits.com/sustainability.php

This sets out in detail UB's performance against each of its sustainability commitments, the new targets that have been set, and gives case study examples of how UB is achieving its targets.

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Brenda Oakley-Carter

23 March 2010 at 10:41am

This is all such great news. The best being about the sustainable palm oil use - I can now start to buy your products again! Please can you put 'palm oil' in the list of ingredients and not hide it among 'vegetable oil' though. Thank you for all your efforts.

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