Wholesaler and catering provider Creed Foodservice has announced new industry-leading sustainability targets in a bid to champion commitment to braver, more robust action within the sector.
Creed, who supply to over 3,500 customers across the UK in a range of foodservice sectors, has committed to achieve Net Zero by 2035, following extensive planning and forecasting with specialist corporate climate action organisation, ClimatePartner. This target will be preceded by Creed’s commitment to becoming Carbon Neutral just three years from now, by 2025.
With its Net Zero target being as many as 10 years earlier than other key foodservice providers, Creed is moving at pace and is already implementing schemes to drive down its carbon emissions; the latest of which is the installation of 1,650 solar panels at its Ilkeston depot. With the installation due to be completed by the end of May 2022, it’s estimated 30% of the power used at the site will come from sunlight, whilst 181,000 kwh’s of renewable energy will be fed back into the grid to provide green energy to other users.
Creed’s Sustainability Director, Phillip Creed, comments:
“We’ve stuck our neck out with these targets, something the entire team unequivocally agrees is essential if we’re serious about continuing with what we have already started, and to set a clear example for others in the industry.
“We’d be remiss to deny the huge challenges that reducing emissions so significantly presents, but with the support of ClimatePartner – who are part of the international CCS+ Initiative, championing technologies that are in line with the Science Based Targets Initiative (SBTi) guidance – we are absolutely committed to delivering what we’ve set out to.
“With this being our 50th year in business, we’ve seen a multitude of challenges face this sector over the years, but never have we been confronted with one so pressing which requires such rigorous and determined action. Not only will we continue to evolve the way we operate in line with these targets, but we’ll be working hard with our 380+ suppliers and thousands of customers to achieve this endeavour and support them in their own too.”
In addition to the solar panel installation, Creed continues to invest in technology across its sites which contribute to emissions reduction. This includes LED lighting systems being used across all warehouses, offices and yards, with voltage optimisation installed where it makes operational sense; a commitment to using suppliers of renewable energy where energy isn’t coming from solar panels installed on site; electric charging points at all sites for electric vehicles, and use of Euro 6 lorries, which feature the highest standard and cleanest engines on the market today.
What’s more, the business continues to tackle its waste management – maintaining a Landfill-Free status across all sites, with waste being collected and used for energy, or recycled. Creed also works with Olleco to provide food and oil waste collection services to its customers, and continues to partner with Too Good to Go to sell short-dated stock, alongside providing ongoing donations to local charity partners.
All of Creed’s emissions reduction projects sit under the ‘Believe in More for Tomorrow’ ethos which is integrated into all areas of its operations – People, Planet and Product, championing fairness, inclusion and opportunity for its employees, building business strategies that feature emissions reduction at the heart of everything, and a commitment to an ethical and sustainable supply chain which is not only better for the environment, but better for consumers and communities too.
To find out more about Creed’s sustainability targets and how it plans to achieve them visit www.creedfoodservice.co.uk/sustainability.
