United Biscuits (UB) has sought to enhance its green credentials by setting out targets for redu-cing greenhouse gas emissions and energy use, waste sent to landfill, water use and packa-ging waste.
At the same time, the company is increasing its use of environmentally friendly transport and sustainable sourcing.
UB’s commitments are contained in the document Achieving Sustainability, and have been accompanied by an initiative to get its 9,000 employees to be environmentally conscious, by giving them each a free low-energy lightbulb to use at home. Staff have also received energy-saving tips and advice on changes they can make at home to protect the environment.
UB has set a target to reduce its UK carbon emissions by 35% by 2020 from its 1995 levels. The company is currently testing new oven burners at its Harlesden factory in north London and plans to roll them out to another five factories over the next three years.
Meanwhile, the company is seeking a 22% reduction in CO2 emissions from its vehicle fleet, equipping it with a new satellite location service which provides live tracking via the internet. The service logs information on each vehicle or trailer, monitoring waiting times, inactivity, delays and any route diversions.
The company has also introduced improved filtration and reuse of water to wash raw materials, as part of its drive to achieve a 25% reduction in water consumption by 2020 compared to 2007.
UB has already reduced the weight of packaging used by 6,800 tonnes and wants a 20% reduction by 2015, compared with 2003.
Work is also under way with a snacks film provider to create a new film that is 17% lighter than that currently used.
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