Bakery ingredients supplier Dawns Foods has released its inaugural Annual Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) Report, providing a transparent overview of its progress, achievements, and goals in sustainability.
Covering operations in Europe and AMEAP (Africa, the Middle East, Asia and the Pacific), the report showcases the company’s commitments across three key pillars – people, products, and customers – which it collectively terms the ‘Dawn Circle of Excellence’.
The people pillar underscores its commitment towards supporting the health, safety, and wellbeing of its team members, the baking industry, and the communities in which it operates. Some of last year’s key highlights were charitable donations totalling over £120,000 in value; the award-winning Dawn Women‘s Leadership Programme; over 8,000 hours of training; and three new staff initiatives promoting mental health.
This year marked the start of its Volunteering Programme, enabling employees to take a day out per year for local charity work. Other objectives laid out this year include introducing its Team Member Networks to foster inclusivity and diversity, and offering continuous development opportunities and leadership training for all.
The product pillar, meanwhile, details how the company operates responsibly with ‘products that delight’. Initiatives from 2022 included rolling out four new Dawn Balance products; ensuring sodium levels across its entire product portfolio were reduced to be in line with 2025 targets of the International Food & Beverage Alliance; installing solar panels at plants in the UK, Portugal and Poland; cutting water usage at plants by 10%; and reducing total electricity by 8%.
Further environmentally friendly reductions and launches of products with improved nutritional value are targeted by the end of this year. Dawn is also looking to increase its current 82% implementation of recyclable or re-usable packaging up to 100% by 2025.
Lastly, the customer pillar shines a spotlight on how it is developing ‘positive partnerships that make an impact’ and driving ethical, sustainable, and responsible behaviour. Last year saw all eight of its production plants registered with Sedex (a data platform for supply chain assessment); 100% of its palm oil being RSPO certified; and all suppliers acting in line with its Code of Excellence. Earlier this year, Dawn’s Bakery Survey revealed that Gen Z consumers were driving more interest in sustainably sourced ingredients.
Focus for the rest of 2023 in Dawn’s customer pillar included extending its Rainforest Alliance certification, reducing paper usage in operations, and reducing CO2 emissions in its supply chain.
“Progress and change take time, but every step we take together counts in the journey that lies ahead of us,” said Dawn Foods Europe & AMEAP president Steven Verweij. “Looking at the incredible progress we made in 2022, I’m confident that we’ll keep inspiring sustainable bakery success in 2023 and beyond.”
Headquartered in Jackson, Michigan, Dawn Foods currently employs over 3,500 people globally and provides high-quality bakery products to more than 50,000 customers all over the world.
No comments yet