.Carbon data is becoming a commercial consideration for UK food and drink manufacturers, with emissions information helping businesses compete for contracts and identify cost savings. However, new research suggests the sector has yet to fully integrate carbon measurement into everyday decision-making.

The survey of 502 senior decision-makers at UK companies with at least 100 employees, including 50 from the food and beverage sector, found that 44% had used carbon data to win or retain a customer, contract or tender in the past two years. Almost all food and drink respondents (98%) said their organisation collected some form of carbon data.

The findings point to a growing business case for emissions measurement, but also highlight a gap between collecting information and using it to influence how products are developed, suppliers selected and operations planned.

Cost reduction drives carbon data adoption

Reducing operating costs is a major motivation for food and drink businesses using carbon data. More than half of respondents (56%) identified cost reduction as one of their main reasons for using emissions information, compared with 41% across other sectors.

The financial benefits are already becoming apparent. Nearly a third (32%) of food and beverage businesses said they had fully achieved lower operating or procurement costs through carbon data over the past two years, while a further 48% reported partially achieving these savings.

For manufacturers facing pressure from ingredient prices, energy consumption, packaging costs and supply-chain inefficiencies, emissions data can help identify where resources are being used and where changes may improve both environmental performance and operational efficiency.

Carbon data increasingly influences commercial opportunities

The research also indicates that emissions information is becoming more relevant to securing business. Food and drink companies estimated that credible carbon data was required for 39% of the commercial opportunities they pursued over the past year.

Almost three-quarters of respondents (74%) expected this proportion to increase over the next three years, suggesting that the ability to provide reliable emissions information could become a more significant consideration in customer relationships and tender processes.

Beyond customer retention and contract wins, 30% of food and beverage businesses said they had used carbon data to secure investment or financing in the past two years.

These findings suggest that carbon measurement is increasingly relevant beyond sustainability reporting. It can also support commercial discussions with customers, demonstrate progress to business partners and help companies respond to requests for evidence about the environmental impact of their products and supply chains.

From measurement to operational decisions

Despite widespread data collection and reported benefits, the research identifies a gap in how consistently food and drink businesses apply emissions information.

Almost a quarter (24%) said carbon data did not regularly influence decisions about supplier selection, product design or operational planning. This compared with 10% of respondents in other sectors.

For manufacturers, these decisions can have a substantial influence on a product’s overall footprint. Emissions may arise from agricultural production and ingredients, packaging materials, factory energy use, processing methods and distribution. Understanding these contributions can help businesses assess alternative materials, suppliers, formulations and logistics arrangements.

However, collecting emissions figures does not automatically translate into changes on the factory floor or across the supply chain. The findings suggest that some businesses may still be treating carbon measurement as a reporting exercise rather than incorporating it into procurement, product development and production planning.

Confidence in emissions figures remains a challenge

Confidence in the quality of carbon data is another issue. While 74% of food and drink respondents said they were confident in its accuracy, this was below the 86% reported across other sectors.

The consequences of incomplete, outdated, inconsistent or inaccessible information can extend into commercial activity. Among food and beverage respondents, 62% said data gaps had contributed to a tender or customer response being weakened or delayed during the previous two years. A further 60% said such gaps had contributed to an environmental or product claim not being substantiated.

These findings highlight the importance of data quality as well as data availability. Food and drink manufacturers often depend on information from multiple suppliers, including agricultural producers, ingredient businesses and packaging providers. Bringing these figures together in a consistent and credible way can be difficult, particularly where suppliers use different methodologies or have limited emissions data of their own.

Making carbon data work harder

George Wade, co-founder and chief commercial officer at Zevero, said food and drink businesses were already seeing commercial and financial value from carbon data, but the next opportunity was to make it more integral to operational decisions.

He said: “The opportunity now is to go further: to put figures the business trusts in front of the people choosing suppliers, developing products and planning logistics. That is where the next round of savings, and the next contract wins, will come from.”

For manufacturers, the findings raise a practical question: how can carbon data move beyond sustainability teams and reporting processes to become a useful input for procurement, engineering, product development and logistics?

The research suggests that many businesses have established the foundations for measuring emissions. The next step is to improve confidence in those figures and use them more consistently to evaluate operational choices, demonstrate product performance and respond to customer requirements.