Kepak Group has once again secured ‘Gold Membership’ at Bord Bia’s prestigious Origin Green Awards, achieving exemplary status in a number of key areas.
These include community projects, biodiversity, and emission and waste reduction.
Origin Green is Ireland’s food and drink sustainability programme and enables the industry to set and achieve measurable sustainability targets that respect the environment and serve local communities more effectively.
The programme’s Gold Membership is awarded to companies that demonstrate an exceptional annual performance on their sustainability targets based on the assessment of an independent verification authority.
Sustainability at Kepak
Kepak’s commitment to community and employee engagement projects and its partnership with the University College Cork (UCC)-led ‘Sustainable Futures’ programme, were emphasised by judges this year as key factors for the food innovator achieving exemplary status.
Together with UCC and in collaboration with Maynooth University and Atlantic Technological University (ATU) and multiple industry partners, including Kepak, Sustainable Futures aims to empower leaders to act so that humans and nature can thrive for generations to come.
The prestigious Gold Membership further recognises Kepak’s sustainability strategy, Kepak CORE, for its ambitious commitments and targets regarding recycling and waste minimisation; supply chain and sourcing of ingredients; biodiversity; energy efficiency; minimising traffic; and community engagement.
CEO of Kepak Group, Simon Walker said: “Kepak is delighted to have achieved Origin Green Gold Membership status for the second consecutive year.
“The award recognises the exceptional strides the entire team at Kepak is taking towards enhancing our sustainability credentials. We have made great progress and are proud of our accomplishments so far, particularly in the areas of biodiversity, community engagement, and manufacturing emissions.
“Given the increased environmental and energy challenges facing society, it is more important than ever that the food industry and indeed all sectors play a part to reduce our global carbon footprint,” he added.
The company said it has already reduced the impact of its operation and achieved progress across a number of impact areas as part of its sustainability strategy including:
- Kepak Sites are powered by 100% green energy;
- Emissions across Kepak sites have reduced by 21%;
- Water usage across sites has decreased by 2.6%.
In addition to this, Kepak Group has future commitments to:
- Reduce Scope 1 and 2 emissions by 51% by 2030;
- Reduce food waste by 50% by 2030;
- By 2025 all branded consumer packing will be recycle ready, in line with the EU Single Use Plastics Directive;
- Kepak Farm to act as a Centre of Excellence and Knowledge Transfer to farmer suppliers.
Biodiversity programme
Protecting and enhancing biodiversity around the company’s sites and farms of suppliers is a key component of Kepak’s agriculture pillar.
Together with Trinity College Dublin and the Irish Research Council, Kepak has funded pioneering research to enhance pollinator diversity. As part of this project, Kepak designated biodiversity champions at site level who conduct and monitor biodiversity.
Treatment plots have been established in short and long grass meadows, with wildflower and herb beds nestled in green areas surrounding Kepak sites, becoming home to native Irish honeybees.
The company conducted biodiversity research at Kepak Farm which acts as a knowledge transfer centre for implementing farm-friendly biodiversity actions via its partner farming network.
Kepak is also an operational partner of the BRIDE valley biodiversity project. The project aims to design and implement a results-based approach to conserve, enhance and restore habitats in lowland intensive farmland.
Kepak
Kepak Group is a family owned meat company which today has a turnover of €1.75 billion and employs over 4,500 people.
The group operates 13 manufacturing facilities throughout Ireland and the UK with sales offices in Europe, the US, Africa, and Asia.
The company markets a broad range of fresh and value-added meat products serving the foodservice and retail market with leading brands Big Al’s, Rustlers, Celtic Beef and John Stone.