Alpro invests in Kettering site and unveils green pledges
The company said it was investing in production sites at Kettering, Northants, and Wevelgem, Belgium.
Its UK site, which employs 200 people, will receive a significant proportion of the investment. That would support the development of a new high-speed packaging line to produce 75m extra packs of soya, oat, rice and coconut drinksa year, the company said.
Alpro’s report, which celebrates the company’s 40th anniversary, details a range of commitments.
Action plans
They include plans to shift to regenerative agriculture, focus on biodiversity and water use and introduce plant-based alternatives to yoghurt in paper-based packaging.
“Alpro is playing an important role in maintaining a healthy society and planet,”said general manager of Alpro Sue Garfitt.
“We are leading a worldwide ‘food revolution’ by creating a broad plant-based category which is becoming an indispensable part of a healthy and sustainable life.
Sustainable
“The diets we have adopted are no longer sustainable for the planet, so we have to change the way we look at food production and consumption. Millions of people are more aware of the personal and environmental benefits of plant-based foods and our mission is to achieve a fundamental dietary shift to more plant-based eating by 2025.”
Emmanuel Faber, chief executive of Alpro’s parent company Danone, said: “This initiative encourages consumers to adopt healthier and more sustainable eating habits, including more plant-based foods and drinks as part of the planetary diets scientific experts are calling for.
“It shows how the trend towards healthy and sustainable products is becoming unstoppable and the role food companies play in supporting flexitarian diets that are good for the planet and good for health.”
Key targets for 2025 include:
- Establish catalyst for net-zero operations with concrete climate ambitions for zero carbon, zero water, zero waste;
- defining clear action plans for the transition to regenerative agriculture, focussing on biodiversity and water use in particular;
- closing the loop on packaging with 100% recyclable packs (today, Alpro is at 76%) and introducing plant-based alternatives to yoghurt in paper-based packaging;
- Reducing water footprint per product by 60%;
- Turning 50% of volume into a recognised source of fibre (today, Alpro is at 36%);
- Bringing even more diversity into the portfolio, using at least nine different plant-based ingredients (today, Alpro uses seven);
- Applying transparent, easy-to-read Front Of Pack (FOP) nutrition labelling to 100% of products
