Industry praised for environmental efforts
The food and drink industry has been praised this week for helping to cut the environmental costs of feeding Britain.
Speaking during a visit to Coca-Cola’s factory in Wakefield, Chris Smith, chairman of the Environment Agency, praised efforts by food and drink manufacturers to cut their carbon footprint, reduce water consumption and slim down waste production.
Environment Agency figures show that regulated organisations within the food and drink sector have increased the proportion of waste recycled and recovered to 90 per cent in 2011. Overall, the sector was responsible for far fewer pollution incidents in 2011 than in previous years.
The food and drink sector represents over 15 per cent of UK turnover and consists of over 7,000 businesses. Eighty per cent of regulated sites achieve the highest environmental standards as measured by the Environment Agency.
At its UK factory in Wakefield, Coca-Cola Enterprises has reduced energy consumption by 16.5 per cent since 2006, cut its water use to product ratio by ten per cent since 2007 and, since 2009, sent zero waste to landfill. It is also the first plant in the global food and beverage industry to achieve the ISO 50001 standard for energy management.
“Green business is good business because it can help reduce costs and enhances reputation with customers,” says Smith. “The improvements within the food and drink sector demonstrate that there are enormous opportunities across industry for savings despite tough economic times. However, businesses need to remain vigilant to environmental risks and drive further improvements.
“Coca-Cola Enterprises’ facility in Wakefield is an excellent example of how manufacturers are taking their own initiative to improve environmental performance. This has delivered greater efficiencies for Coca-Cola and reduced the level of intervention needed from the Environment Agency.”
