Driving carbon reduction
We are reducing our carbon emissions, year on year.
Our recent materiality assessment ranked climate change as a high priority for our stakeholders, who increasingly expect companies to help prevent the worst effects of climate change. Although we have achieved a reduction of 31% over the past ten years whilst significantly growing our business, we recognise the opportunity to go further and faster.
In 2020/21, we challenged consultants to optimise our decarbonisation roadmap.
We are pleased to announce our new commitment to a science-based target for 2030, which will require at least a 40% reduction in CO2e emissions per tonne of production compared to 2019 and to reach Net Zero emissions by 2050.
Over the coming months, we will seek validation of our target from the Science-Based Targets initiative (SBTi), paving the way for our circular packaging to play a powerful role in helping brands and consumers reduce their carbon footprint.
NOW and NEXT...
By 2030, we will reduce our CO2e emissions by at least 40% per tonne of production compared to 2019 and reach Net Zero emissions by 2050.
How?
We’re investing strategically in renewable energy sources, green electricity and energy efficiency
- Converting steam from production to heat our premises
- Anaerobic digester expansion
- Purchasing green electricity
- Aero derivative gas turbines
We are setting new standards in fuel efficiency as well as switching to solar, wind, geothermal, hydroelectric and hydrogen energy where possible. To date we’ve delivered a 23% reduction in CO2e per tonne of production on a like-for-like basis since 2015, pacing ahead of our target. This has been mainly driven by investment in equipment upgrades and green energy procurement at our mills.
Our Head of Energy Efficiency, Martin Mead, describes how we are investing in energy efficiency and green energy technology to continue to reduce our carbon emissions.