Greencore, one of the largest food-to-go manufacturers operating in the UK, has said its packaging will be “recyclable or reusable” by 2025.
The sandwich-to-sushi supplier also committed to a “deforestation-free supply chain” by the same year, with “all raw materials sustainably-sourced” five years later.
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London-listed Greencore has also issued a commitment to “operate with net zero emissions”, based on Scope 1 and Scope 2 emissions, by 2040.
The Ireland-based group said its combined Scope 1 and 2 emissions stood at 60,218 tonnes of CO2 equivalent. It said its Scope 3 emissions were unknown but were subject to an ongoing project.
This year, Greencore is aiming to set an “externally-verified” target to reduce its Scope 1, 2 and 3 carbon emissions approved by the Science Based Targets initiative (SBTi). Greencore said its supply chain accounts for more than 70% of its total environmental footprint.
On the sourcing of raw materials, Greencore said it is “prioritising risks in forest, fisheries [and] field” and is mapping its “high-risk” forest commodities of soy and palm oil. The company is also set to launch a code of conduct for suppliers.
On packaging, Greencore wants to have a “100% recyclable sandwich skillet” in the market this year. “The sandwich skillet is our signature packaging item,” Greencore said today (24 February). “Our current skillet is a cardboard assembled box with plastic film; mixed materials can be more complicated to recycle. Our commitment is to develop and bring to market a fully recyclable skillet in 2021, to make recycling as convenient as the food inside.”
