C&D Foods celebrates triple certification

ABP Food Group, parent of Longford based C&D Foods, has become the first company in Ireland to receive triple certification for water, carbon and waste reduction initiatives from the Carbon Trust.

Carbon Trust is a leading authority on monitoring the efforts of companies and governments to reduce their environmental impact.

ABP joins only four other companies in the UK to have received all three Carbon Trust awards, with Marks & Spencers, Whitbread, PwC and AkzoNobel UK the other businesses to have achieved this standard.

Commenting on the award, C&D Longford General Manager Philip Reynolds said, “The team here in Edgeworthstown have done a lot of work to contribute to reducing ABP’s environmental impact and it’s great to see that recognized with this prestigious award. It’s only because every member of staff takes this issue seriously that we have been able to make the improvements in our water, waste and greenhouse emissions that have now been certified externally by the Carbon Trust.”

The certification follows ABP’s introduction of its “Doing More with Less Programme” in 2010 when it set itself challenging sustainability targets including; 10% reduction in water usage by 2020, 20% reduction in energy usage by 2020, 25% reduction in CO2 output from our plants by 2020, Zero to landfill by 2015.

ABP’s Group Sustainability and Environmental Manager, Philip Reynolds commented, “ABP has demonstrated year on year progress towards the challenging targets we have set ourselves to reduce the environmental footprint of our business. I am delighted that these efforts have been recognised and certified by a globally recognised body like the Carbon Trust. ABP is at the forefront of Irish businesses demonstrating that sustainability and success can go hand in hand.”

Tom Delay, Chief Executive of the Carbon Trust, remarked, “ABP is the first food processing company to achieve independent certification to the Carbon Trust Standard for reductions in carbon, water and waste. Achieving the Carbon Trust Standard ensures that an organisation has made genuine progress in reducing the environmental impact of its business year on year.”

Examples of projects that have helped ABP hit these targets include the use of better and more efficient fuel boilers; an awareness campaign to dramatic increase recycling levels in all plants, and harvesting of rain water for use in truck washes at distribution depots.