The Mr Kipling, Oxo and Ambrosia owner has reported further progress with its Enriching Life Plan, centred around a series of major investments in renewable energy infrastructure, lower-carbon manufacturing and healthier food innovation.
The St Albans-based food producer reported a 14% reduction in Scope 1 and 2 market-based emissions during the year, alongside a 16% increase in sales of products meeting high nutritional standards.
Scope 1 emissions are direct emissions from sources an organisation owns or controls, such as fuel burned in company vehicles or on-site boilers, while Scope 2 covers indirect emissions from the generation of purchased energy, including electricity, steam or cooling bought from utility companies.
As part of its sustainability plan, Premier Foods invested £2.1 million into a new solar farm at its Carlton Bakery in South Yorkshire.
Spanning 2.9 hectares and featuring 3,500 solar panels, the installation has the potential to supply nearly three quarters of the site’s electricity needs during peak production periods.
The project is expected to reduce the site’s carbon emissions by approximately 468 tonnes per year while supporting long-term energy resilience and delivering savings in annual energy costs, and forms part of a wider programme of solar investment across Premier Foods’ manufacturing sites.
The firm also completed two major steam boiler upgrades at its Worksop manufacturing site, home to brands including Batchelors, Bisto and Oxo.
Premier Foods said the £3.3 million investment has significantly improved energy efficiency at the site and is expected to reduce carbon emissions by around 686 tonnes annually.
In addition to the solar and boiler projects, the group also introduced heat recovery solutions at its Lifton Creamery and continued wider energy efficiency improvements across its operations.
Nick Brown, ESG director at Premier Foods, said: “Our Enriching Life Plan continues to play a central role in how we grow the business responsibly.
“This year we have made meaningful progress across all three pillars of Product, Planet and People – from reducing carbon emissions and investing in renewable energy infrastructure, to expanding and investing in healthier product ranges and strengthening our support for more sustainable diets, while building the future culture, skills and capability to support business growth and supporting the local communities we operate in.”
In terms of its health strategy, sales of products meeting high nutritional standards increased 16% during the year, while Premier Foods reached its 2030 target ahead of schedule for more than 50% of products to meet high nutritional standards (non-HFSS) and provide an additional registered health or nutrition benefit.
