Boxes of ingredients move along a production line at a Macphie site

Source: Macphie

Boxes of ingredients move along a production line at a Macphie site

Ingredients manufacturer Macphie has donated 14 tonnes of food since April 2022, equivalent to over 33,000 meals, a recent Impact Report revealed.

Donations were made to a total of to 529 local charities, helping to prevent waste of 22.4 tonnes of CO2e, the report stated. It was just one of the numerous ways outlined in the report that showed how the Aberdeenshire-based company was making further progress towards hitting its major environmental, social and governance (ESG) targets.

These included Macphie investing £75,000 into the installation of a sub-meter network across its Glenbervie site to closely track energy use and identify ways to operate more efficiently.

The family-owned firm has been using power from two onsite wind turbines installed and owned by Glenbervie Wind since 2014. It was also the first food manufacturer to produce ingredients using power from biomass technology, having installed a 1.2MW onsite biomass facility in 2008.

Other contributions include the hosting of local secondary pupils as part of a foundation apprenticeship programme and funding a scholarship and three-month work placement for a university food science student.

A winter payment scheme was also introduced by Macphie to provide staff with an additional £750 to help with cost-of-living challenges and, in partnership with the Scottish Refugee Council, two Syrian refugees were taken on as full-time employees.

Andy Stapley, CEO at Macphie

Source: Macphie

Andy Stapley, CEO at Macphie

“Our ways of working have always been based on the principles of sustainability and we want to make a positive impact on both our local and wider environment, both now and in the future, by doing the right thing to protect the people and places around us,” said Macphie CEO Andy Stapley.

“Proving we’re not just talking the talk when it comes to sustainability, we are B Corp accredited which means we’ve proactively joined a community of like-minded businesses using their force for good and this report only highlights the work we have been successfully achieving up to this point.”

Macphie was among Scotland’s first businesses to achieve B Corp status in 2015. It achieved a 93.7 rating in its latest B Corp assessment – the median score is 50.9. This marked a 15% increase from its initial scoring eight years ago.

Macphie manufactures a range of products including cake mixes and savoury sauces, as well as offering plant-based and gluten-free options. Established in 1928, it has grown to now employ more than 250 people across its three sites.

“Since our move to Glenbervie in the seventies, we’ve closely aligned our ambitions to hit social and environmental goals, as well as financial targets, and have committed to continuous improvement across five key pillars covering governance, customers, communities, workers and the environment,” Stapley continued.

“We have made great strides as a company towards our goals, yet we are still steadfast on our ESG journey, making it a priority to not only give back to the land and our external stakeholders, but also our own Macphie family.”