WEETABIX CORPORATE
RESPONSIBILITY REPORT 2012
Doing things in the right way
WEETABIX CORPORATE RESPONSIBILITY REPORT 2012
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WEETABIX CORPORATE RESPONSIBILITY REPORT 2012
introduction
Weetabix: A company that strives to do things in the right way
I am very proud to introduce the new Weetabix Corporate Responsibility
report as our company reaches its 80th year. The company is determined to meet
its responsibilities and indeed, go beyond them, but I am equally determined
not to make promises we can’t keep. So this report is very much down to earth,
grounded on simple values of trust and transparency - just like the Weetabix
Food Company itself.
One example is our commitment to local farmers. Weather permitting, all
of our wheat comes from farms within 50 miles of our main mill at Burton
Latimer in Northamptonshire. We like to call it ‘Weetabix Country.’ We
encourage our farmers to protect the countryside and use responsible methods
of farming. So, for example, our wheat farmers use less fertiliser than most and
they comply with the environmental component of Natural England’s Entry
Level Stewardship Scheme and its strict guidance on fertiliser management.
We work extremely hard to ensure that our range of breakfast cereals are
nutritious, using wholegrain wheat and ingredients sourced responsibly.
I am particularly proud of our people and their commitment to excellence in
our products and how we produce them. This is our third report since 2008, we
have learnt a lot since then and we continue to make progress.
If only I could walk all of our customers around ‘Weetabix Country’ to show
them our progress. For example how we are minimising waste, making the most
of our resources, using innovation and technology to be more efficient and
working with farmers to protect our hedgerows.
We promise to continue to strive for the best. When we meet our targets,
we’ll set new ones. When we don’t meet them, we’ll explain why, openly and
honestly.
This is my commitment to be a company that strives to do things in the
right way.
Giles Turrell
CEO, Weetabix Ltd
WEETABIX CORPORATE RESPONSIBILITY REPORT 2012
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WEETABIX CORPORATE RESPONSIBILITY REPORT 2012
CONTENTS
About this report �������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������� 6
Our business ����������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������� 7
Global progress ������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������ 8
Our supply chain �������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������� 9
Our great tasting nutritional brands �������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������� 10
Nutrition����������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������� 10
Marketing���������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������� 10
Our environment ���������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������� 11
Carbon footprint ����������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������� 11
Energy use ������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������� 13
Water management ������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������ 15
Waste������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������� 17
Packaging���������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������� 18
Transport ���������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������� 20
Our people ����������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������� 21
Contact us ������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������� 22
WEETABIX CORPORATE RESPONSIBILITY REPORT 2012
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About this report
Weetabix is a company driven by great products and our commitment to meeting and
exceeding the expectations of our millions of customers. This means delivering excellent tasty and nutritious products that our customers love. It also means doing things in
the right way.
This report is an open and straightforward review of our operations and their impacts.
We want people to understand what we do and how we are acting responsibly in a
sustainable way.
Our very first Corporate Social Responsibility report was produced in 2008. We
have come a long way since then. You will see from this report the progress we have
achieved and what we have learned. We will be able to go into even more detail by using evaluation tools available through our environmental partners SKM Enviros.
For example, this time we are able to give more detail on our carbon footprint. We will
show we have not only introduced new initiatives to reduce the carbon footprint but
also better ways of measuring it.
We are increasingly becoming a global company but this report focuses mainly on our
UK operations. The growing international dimension of the company will be included
in our next report.
The heart of ‘Weetabix
Country’, Bulwick in
Northamptonshire
6
This report covers the last period when full data is assured, which is 2010 and 2011.
WEETABIX CORPORATE RESPONSIBILITY REPORT 2012
Our business
Weetabix has been proudly producing Britain’s favourite breakfast cereal for over
80 years. The Weetabix brand has come a long way in that time but the grain is still
sourced locally, weather permitting, from within a 50-mile radius of the factory. We
have developed strong relationships with our farmers based upon mutual trust. Many
of these farms have been supplying Weetabix from the very start and generations of the
same families have worked in our Burton Latimer factory which continues to be at the
heart of our production.
We have built on the original Weetabix recipe and responded to consumer demand to
produce a wide range of other cereals and products such as muesli, porridge, cereal bars
and biscuits.
Andrew Ramply, growing
wheat for Weetabix at
Southoe, Cambridgeshire
Wholegrain Wheat (95%), Malted Barley Extract,
Sugar, Salt, Niacin, Iron, Riboflavin (B2), Thiamin
(B1), Folic Acid.
260
250
240
230
220
(Please supply a new Colour Standard)
Approved Colour Standard
Approved Contract Proof
210
200
190
Match to:
PrintSpec™
This carton is made from board
containing at least 90% recycled
fibres.
140
150
160
BAG
Wholewheat Flakes & Rolled
Oats with Raisins and
Roasted Sliced
Hazelnuts & Almonds.
30
Wholewheat Flakes & Rolled Oats with
Raisins and Roasted Sliced Hazelnuts &
Almonds. 375g
Ingredients: Wholegrain Wheat (42%),
Wholegrain Rolled Oats (36%), Raisins
(15%), Dried Skimmed Milk, Milk Whey
Powder Roasted Sliced Nuts (2.5%),
(Hazelnuts & Almonds), Malted Barley
Extract, Salt.
Allergy Advice
This product contains wheat, oats,
barley, milk, hazelnuts & almonds. May
contain traces of other nuts.
For Best Before, see top flap.
Nutrition: Typical Average Values
Per 45g
serving GDA# Per 100g
Energy
670kJ/
1488kJ/
158kcal 2000
352kcal
Protein
5.0g
11.1g
Carbohydrate
29.3g
65.1g
(of which sugars
7.3g 90g
16.3g)
Fat
2.3g 70g
5.2g
(of which saturates 0.3g 20g
0.6g)
Fibre
3.5g
7.8g
Sodium*
0.07g
0.16g
*Equivalent as Salt 0.18g
6g
0.40g
#Guideline Daily Amounts (GDAs) are
recommended by Nutrition
Professionals for average weight
adults. You should adjust your intake
according to your own age, weight,
build and lifestyle.
mm
10
20
This pack contains at least eight 45g servings.
mail@itarus.com
www.itarus.com
Itarus House,
Tenter Road,
Moulton Park,
Northampton
NN3 6PZ
Need help? Contact us:
+44 (0)1604 468100
40
50
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80
90
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110
120
130
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5
P 2745
Black
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3
2
Magenta Yellow
1
Cyan
UIC
Barcode: 5010029000016 Size/BWR: 100%/030 Profile ref: PBG149 Operator: 5
Energy
WHOLE WHEAT CEREAL WITH ADDED
VITAMINS & IRON. 24 BISCUITS
Per 37.5g serving Per 100g GDA**
568kJ/ 1516kJ/
134kcal 358kcal 2000
4.3g
11.5g
25.7g
68.6g
1.7g
4.4g) 90g
0.8g
2.0g 70g
0.2g
0.6g) 20g
3.8g
10.0g 24g
0.10g
0.26g
0.24g
0.65g
6g
1
Output Queue: PDF Spec: vibixa001 No of Cols: 5 Dispro: N/A DGC: N/A
Protein
Carbohydrate
(of which sugars
Fat
(of which saturates
Fibre
Sodium*
*Equivalent as Salt
Version
File Name: 149734V1_14.ai Rev. Date: 12/08/2012 Rev. Time: 10:00
Job Desc: Weetabix - 24 Biscuits - New Wheat Pack Proc: Litho
Job No: 149734 File No: 63689 Printer: Vibixa Ltd Packer: Weetabix
Store in a cool dry, odour free place
To retain freshness, fold over inner bag after use.
DRAWING
BORDER F/N
PBG 149
Packaging Disposal
180
170
Packaging
Control
PROFILE
Authorised By
Approval to Print
*Weetabix is two thirds carbohydrate which provides energy to the body as part of a healthy diet and lifestyle
For Best Before, see bottom flap.
This pack contains twelve
2-biscuit servings.
eWDCQT
Customer: Weetabix Customer Ref: P011121-001 0002.12.2
P011121-001
0002.12.2
UK,ROI
270
280
The Weetabix Value chain
We care about the provenance of our products and that at every stage of the journey
we are able to meet our promises on quality, nutrition and the environment. How
our ingredients are grown on the farm, how they are transported to our factories, how
they are manufactured, packaged and delivered to our customers is what makes the
Weetabix story so special.
Made in England by Weetabix
Limited. We want you to enjoy Alpen
No Added Sugar in perfect condition.
If you are unhappy with it in any way,
please return it with the panel
showing the “Best Before” code to:
Consumer Services Department,
Weetabix Limited, Burton Latimer,
Kettering, Northants., NN15 5JR,
England. We will refund the price of a
replacement plus postage by voucher,
which of course does not affect your
statutory rights. If you want to contact
us with any comments or enquiries
please visit our website:
www.weetabix.co.uk
® Trade Mark of Weetabix Limited
0885/09/2
P018673
WEETABIX CORPORATE RESPONSIBILITY REPORT 2012
7
**Guideline Daily Amounts (GDAs) are recommended by
Nutrition Professionals for average weight adults. You
should adjust your intake according to your own age,
weight, build and lifestyle.
Vitamins & Iron
Thiamin (B1)
0.3mg
0.9mg
Riboflavin (B2)
0.5mg
1.2mg
Niacin
5.1mg
13.6mg
Folic Acid
64.0μg
170.0μg
Iron
4.5mg
11.9mg
A 37.5g serving of Weetabix (2 biscuits)
provides 32% of the Recommended Daily
Allowance (RDA) of the vitamins & iron listed.
100g of Weetabix provides 85% of the RDA of
the vitamins & iron listed.
www.weetabix.co.uk
Made in England by Weetabix Limited. We want you to enjoy Weetabix in
perfect condition. If you are unhappy with it in any way, please return it with
the panel bearing the “Best Before” code to: Consumer Services
Department, Weetabix Limited, Burton Latimer, Kettering, Northants., NN15
5JR, England. We will refund the price of a replacement plus postage by
voucher, which of course does not affect your statutory rights. If you want
to contact us with any comments or enquiries please visit our website:
By Appointment to Her Majesty The Queen
Manufacturers of Breakfast Cereals
Weetabix Limited
Burton Latimer
OUR BUSINESS
Global progress
Our commitment
The investment in the Weetabix Food Company by the Chinese company Bright
Foods has created a global partnership that will help Weetabix grow internationally. In
this report we wish to acknowledge that as we respond to our global growth we will
report on our international CSR credentials.
What we are doing
Weetabix has operations in Canada, the USA and joint ventures in Africa. Going
forward we want to be able to account for our operations abroad, including key issues
such as their carbon footprint and energy usage. This will be included in our next
report.
The Weetabix Factory
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WEETABIX CORPORATE RESPONSIBILITY REPORT 2012
OUR SUPPLY CHAIN
PROCUREMENT
Our commitment
We commit to fair and responsible sourcing and look to build long-term relationships
with our suppliers and provide support to a balance of smaller, local providers as well
as the larger conglomerates. We work with all our suppliers and contractors to ensure
they meet our high standards.
What we are doing
We are proud of our Weetabix Growers Group made up of 160 growers who we
work really closely with to help them meet the requirements of Natural England’s
Entry Level Stewardship Scheme. This has helped them operate in a more sustainable
way, for example using less fertiliser whilst also enhancing the countryside. Weetabix
appreciate that cultivating and harvesting our raw materials can impact upon the local
wildlife and wider environment; it is important that we look to work with farmers to
ensure animal welfare, and environmental standards are managed, and habitats are
protected and encourage biodiversity. Following the success of this group we are
looking to evaluate the environmental benefits to see if it can be applied to other areas
of the business.
Weetabix is introducing a procurement criteria covering a range of requirements
concerning the environment, sustainable working practices and training. For example
Weetabix will feature a section in our Annual Supplier conference around our CR
strategies.
Will Cobley, grandson of
the first farmer to hold an
account with Weetabix
Environmental Stewardship
(ES) is an agri-environment
scheme that is open to all
farmers and is funded by the UK
Government and the EU. Farmers
and land managers across England
enter into voluntary management
agreements with Natural England
in order to deliver the scheme. In
return for looking after England’s
countryside – the wildlife,
landscapes, historic features
and natural resources (soils and
water) – and providing new
opportunities for public access in
some cases, ES provides farmers
and land managers with a financial
incentive that supports and
rewards them for this work. ES is
managed by Natural England on
behalf of Defra.
WEETABIX CORPORATE RESPONSIBILITY REPORT 2012
9
Our great tasting nutritional brands
NUTRITION
Our commitment
We believe in offering our customers a choice of brands that are both tasty and
nutritious and we are committed to providing ‘best in class’ nutrition across the range.
All our breakfast cereals are a good source of fibre and many are fortified with vitamins
and iron. For example original Weetabix is low in fat, high in fibre and low in sugar.
What we are doing
As our product range grows we are working hard to ensure that we have consistently
high levels of wholegrain. We assess whether a product contains wholegrain by applying the Institute of Grocery Distribution guidelines which say that 8g of wholegrain
should be present in a portion. Using this measure, all our breakfast cereals can rightly
claim to contain wholegrain.
Where there is a consumer benefit we fortify our cereals with micronutrients such as
vitamins and iron.
For example a typical two biscuit serving of Weetabix contains less than half a teaspoon
of sugar and 134 calories. Ready Brek Original contains no added salt or sugar at all.
Weetabix Chocolate has 40% less sugar than the average chocolate flavoured breakfast
cereal. Oatibix has all the goodness of oats which can help reduce cholesterol.
We always ensure that nutritional content is clearly and transparently labelled on all our
products and that suggested portion sizes are clearly detailed on the packaging.
MARKETING
Our commitment
We want people to know about our range of nutritious breakfast cereals which can
form part of a balanced diet.
But we also recognise the importance of responsible marketing, particularly
to children.
Weetabix TV advertisement
What we are doing
We recognise that digital media is transforming advertising and we are adapting.
Weetabix is a responsible manufacturer and takes a great deal of care to ensure all our
marketing activities are always appropriate on any platform. We listen to all feedback,
review relevant issues, and when appropriate we take action to ensure we get it right
across all forms of advertising.
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WEETABIX CORPORATE RESPONSIBILITY REPORT 2012
OUR ENVIRONMENT
CARBON FOOTPRINT
Our commitment
We are committed to finding smarter ways to reduce our carbon footprint. Our annual
footprint data has allowed us to see the trends in emissions generated from the business and
those that could be influenced within our supply chain. We are committed to continuing to work towards our 2015 target which is to reduce our annual carbon footprint by
6,000 tonnes based on our baseline of 2007.
What we are doing
For the sixth year running we have calculated our corporate carbon footprint in line
with the Green House Gas Protocol identifying the key sources of emissions (see diagram
below). During this time our data collection and reporting systems have become more
robust. This has enabled us to build up our annual footprint data and allowed us to see
the trends in emissions generated from the business and those that could be influenced
within our supply chain. All of our carbon footprint calculations continue to be assured
by environmental consultants SKM Enviros.
Packaging manufacture
35.69%
Natural gas
34.14%
Waste
0.66%
Gas oil
0.00021%
Company fleet
3.62%
Company cars
0.21%
F gases
0.13%
Water
0.11%
Electricity
21.98%
Materials transport
3.41%
Company travel
0.06%
Our data shows we have met our pledge in 2010 and reduced our footprint significantly. In
2010 our Scope 1 (see definition of scope 1, 2 and 3) carbon emissions have fallen by 8,801
tonnes since the 2007 baseline. 3,936 tonnes were transferred into Scope 3 as we outsourced
our fleet distribution operations and this means 4,865 tonnes were actually removed across
our Scope 1 and 2 emission sources which we control within the business.
We will strive to reduce our annual carbon footprint by a further 1,135 tonnes by 2015
from our 2007 baseline to our revised pledge of 6,000 tonnes. To support the process
of reducing our Scope 1 and Scope 2 emissions we are developing a roadmap aligned to
the company business plan and considering strategic and operational measures to save
carbon in our business operations and through our supply chain.
Green House Gas Protocols
Scope 1 Direct Carbon
Emissions (e.g gas, distribution,
refrigerants (GHG), business
travel.
Scope 2 Indirect carbon
emissions (e.g electricity).
Scope 3 Other indirect carbon
emissions (e.g packaging, water,
waste, raw materials)
WEETABIX CORPORATE RESPONSIBILITY REPORT 2012
11
OUR ENVIRONMENT
CASE STUDY
Weetabix Carbon Footprint
As part of our pledge to understand our carbon footprint, Weetabix undertook a project to
measure the carbon footprint of our flagship product, the Weetabix biscuit.
A product carbon footprint calculates the carbon emissions associated with a product across
its whole life cycle and for this assessment, the carbon foot-printing standard PAS2050 has
been followed.
By analysing every stage of the cycle of the Weetabix biscuit we learned new ways to further
reduce our carbon footprint.
Product distribution
2.2%
Weetabix only footprint by life cycle stage (2 Weetabix Biscuits)
260
250
240
230
220
210
200
PrintSpec™
190
180
170
160
150
140
130
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110
100
90
By Appointment to Her Majesty The Queen
Manufacturers of Breakfast Cereals
Weetabix Limited
Burton Latimer
70
80
P011121-001
0002.12.2
UK,ROI
Approved Colour Standard
Approved Contract Proof
Match to:
Approval to Print
Authorised By
Packaging
Control
PROFILE
eWDCQT
www.weetabix.co.uk
Made in England by Weetabix Limited. We want you to enjoy Weetabix in
perfect condition. If you are unhappy with it in any way, please return it with
the panel bearing the “Best Before” code to: Consumer Services
Department, Weetabix Limited, Burton Latimer, Kettering, Northants., NN15
5JR, England. We will refund the price of a replacement plus postage by
voucher, which of course does not affect your statutory rights. If you want
to contact us with any comments or enquiries please visit our website:
UIC
6
5
P 2745
Black
**Guideline Daily Amounts (GDAs) are recommended by
Nutrition Professionals for average weight adults. You
should adjust your intake according to your own age,
weight, build and lifestyle.
Vitamins & Iron
Thiamin (B1)
0.3mg
0.9mg
Riboflavin (B2)
0.5mg
1.2mg
Niacin
5.1mg
13.6mg
Folic Acid
64.0μg
170.0μg
Iron
4.5mg
11.9mg
A 37.5g serving of Weetabix (2 biscuits)
provides 32% of the Recommended Daily
Allowance (RDA) of the vitamins & iron listed.
100g of Weetabix provides 85% of the RDA of
the vitamins & iron listed.
1
4
3
2
Magenta Yellow
Per 37.5g serving Per 100g GDA**
568kJ/ 1516kJ/
134kcal 358kcal 2000
11.5g
4.3g
68.6g
25.7g
4.4g) 90g
1.7g
2.0g 70g
0.8g
0.6g) 20g
0.2g
10.0g 24g
3.8g
0.26g
0.10g
6g
0.65g
0.24g
Version
1
Output Queue: PDF Spec: vibixa001 No of Cols: 5 Dispro: N/A DGC: N/A
Barcode: 5010029000016 Size/BWR: 100%/030 Profile ref: PBG149 Operator: 5
Job No: 149734 File No: 63689 Printer: Vibixa Ltd Packer: Weetabix
File Name: 149734V1_14.ai Rev. Date: 12/08/2012 Rev. Time: 10:00
Customer: Weetabix Customer Ref: P011121-001 0002.12.2
Job Desc: Weetabix - 24 Biscuits - New Wheat Pack Proc: Litho
Protein
Carbohydrate
(of which sugars
Fat
(of which saturates
Fibre
Sodium*
*Equivalent as Salt
Energy
WHOLE WHEAT CEREAL WITH ADDED
VITAMINS & IRON. 24 BISCUITS
Raw material transport
1.4%
Cyan
*Weetabix is two thirds carbohydrate which provides energy to the body as part of a healthy diet and lifestyle
Wholegrain Wheat (95%), Malted Barley Extract,
Sugar, Salt, Niacin, Iron, Riboflavin (B2), Thiamin
(B1), Folic Acid.
Raw materials
production
49.6%
Packaging
manufacture
16.9%
Packaging
transport
0.2%
For Best Before, see bottom flap.
This pack contains twelve
2-biscuit servings.
30
20
10
mm
DRAWING
BORDER F/N
PBG 149
mail@itarus.com
www.itarus.com
+44 (0)1604 468100
40
50
60
Production of
raw materials
Itarus House,
Tenter Road,
Moulton Park,
Northampton
NN3 6PZ
Need help? Contact us:
Weetabix
manufacturing
site
27.8%
(Please supply a new Colour Standard)
270
280
Product disposal
2.0%
Distribution of
raw materials
Weetabix
Distribution
of products
Retail and
consumption
Disposal
The exercise has been valuable to the business as it has highlighted major emission
sources enabling the business to focus on key “hotspots”. Weetabix has direct control over
manufacturing emissions, but only has indirect control over those emissions that arise
upstream and downstream of its operations. So the creation of a product footprint is therefore
a valuable way of putting the direct emissions into context, and understanding how changes
made by a manufacturing organisation can reduce emissions across the life cycle.
We acknowledge that the most common method of consuming our product is with milk,
therefore we have considered the results both with and without the addition of milk. When
milk is included in the footprint it demonstrates that the Weetabix biscuit accounts for 20%
of the carbon emissions and milk accounts for the other 80%. These findings have increased
our understanding of the total carbon footprint associated with producing and consuming
Weetabix.
Note: As Weetabix has no influence on the milk supply chain we are focusing on the life cycle
of the biscuit only.
PAS2050 – The PAS (Publically Available Standard) is a set of criteria which must be followed in order to
create a robust footprint which is comparable to others. It was developed by the Carbon Trust in collaboration with the British Standards Institute (BSI), and forms the benchmark for carbon footprinting in the UK.
2
12
WEETABIX CORPORATE RESPONSIBILITY REPORT 2012
OUR ENVIRONMENT
Energy use
Our commitment
Our commitment made in 2008 was to reduce our energy consumption by 5% before
2010 and 10% by 2015. We are disappointed to report that we missed this target in
2010. However we have made strides in seeing the energy savings from projects
implemented come through in 2011 where we significantly reduced our energy by
4.3% kWh per tonne (7.5% kWh absolute) in 2011 from the 2007 baseline.
In our last report we made a commitment to review the potential for a Combined
Heat and Power Plant at our Corby 2 site. This is still something we are interested in
pursuing, however our business decision making plans have delayed this as a longer
term prospect.
Energy centre boiler
We continue to be committed to reduce energy consumption by a further 10%
by 2020 from our original baseline.
What we are doing
Diversifying our product range to meet our customer’s needs is making the delivery
of energy reductions more challenging because operations are more complex and efficiencies more difficult to realise.
So, as an intensive energy user, we understand that taking energy out of the process
demands many practical steps. To do this we continuously engage with our workforce
to make them more aware of our energy consumption. For example we now have
dedicated energy champions across our business units to drive local initiatives, such as
poster campaigns, energy audits and awareness workshops.
Furthermore, we have transferred what we learned from the energy management
programme at our Corby site to Burton Latimer. A large part of the carbon emissions
arising from our operations are linked to the production process so we have focussed
on this area. For example, we have undertaken a site-wide compressed air improvement programme, optimised controls, increased preventative maintenance regimes
and invested in high efficiency equipment.
Other examples include investing in modern lighting technology to operate a warehouse with minimum lighting and investing in automating our warehouse with energy
efficient equipment which cuts energy consumption from the use of fork lift trucks.
We continue to look for the right low carbon energy solutions as new opportunities
arise from changes in Government policy or technologies. We recognise that low
carbon energy solutions may also provide security of supply. In the meantime, we
continue to benefit from the significant efficiencies gained following the introduction
of the Combined Heat and Power plant in 2005.
WEETABIX CORPORATE RESPONSIBILITY REPORT 2012
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OUR ENVIRONMENT
Absolute Energy Use, 2007-2011
kWh
2008
2007
2009
2010
2011
Energy centre
CASE STUDY
Enhanced recovery of exhaust gases from our energy centre
With energy reduction in mind the business has continued to focus on optimising heat
recovery within our Energy Centre where we operate a Combined Heat and Power (CHP)
Plant. In 2008 we set a goal to continue to optimise heat recovery to achieve savings of 800
tonnes CO2 / annum.
Energy centre
In our onsite CHP plant we use a gas engine to generate electricity for the site and use the
waste heat in the engine exhaust to provide steam for use in our production processes. We
need more steam, mainly for our cooking operations, than we can produce from our CHP
plant, therefore optimising the amount of waste heat recovered to provide steam is important.
We produce the additional steam we need using gas fired steam boilers, so the more waste
heat we recover, the less gas we need in the boilers.
As part of our continuous improvement activities we recently completed a major project
to improve the automatic control of the CHP plant. The initial data collected shows a 30%
increase in heat recovery which will reduce gas usage for producing steam by over 5%. We
will continue to validate data from the CHP plant so we can report the impact this has had on
reducing the Carbon Footprint of our Energy Centre.
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WEETABIX CORPORATE RESPONSIBILITY REPORT 2012
OUR ENVIRONMENT
Water management
Our commitment
Water is a vital resource for our business and we are now focusing on implementing
a water management strategy in each of our factories. We committed to a 20%
reduction by 2020 from our 2007 usage. We remain committed to this target and we
are continuously looking to prioritise the implementation of any new opportunities.
What are we doing
Repairing leaks and improving awareness of water efficiency amongst our teams is an
effective way of continuously improving our water infrastructure. We recognise that even
small steps like turning off the tap when washing your hands contribute to our goal.
During 2010, we undertook a baseline study at our Burton Latimer site. This has
identified efficiency measures which we can implement and will lead to the delivery
of specific opportunities, in particular improvements of our amenity services. We continue to focus attention on our effluent treatment process at our Corby 1 factory, which
will reduce the environmental impact of the final effluent.
We have tracked our water usage since 2007 using the Federation House Commitment
templates which are part of the Food and Drink Federation Five-fold Environmental
Ambition. We have a number of on-site meters to allow us to monitor our usage as well
as our main supply meters and we have amended our data having undergone a robust
review of our historic data. We have also now included full historic data for our Ashton
factory, and amended the baseline to include this. We can see from the data that we
have increased our water usage across the business and against 2007 baseline our water
usage has risen by 6%. Although this is disappointing we have a better understanding
of where our water is being used and can account for the trends in water consumption.
Our environmental team and business unit managers understand where issues and
operational changes have influenced our usage, we are putting further plans in place,
and we hope to see improvements going forwards.
River Ise
Water balance: We are expanding our site water balance to individual units
EVAPORATION
WATER IN
PRODUCT
LEAKS AND EFFLUENT
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OUR ENVIRONMENT
CASE STUDY
Using less water to clean up
We have done a great deal of work with our water provider. We have analysed effluent quality,
and reviewed where it comes from, to see how we can minimize impact on the environment.
This means that treatment works don’t have to process as much waste from our operations.
An example of this is the reduced water consumption on our coating units in one of our
key manufacturing processes. We use a lot of hot water to ensure that our conveyor belts
stay free from build-up of ingredients. This water requires energy to heat it up to the desired
temperature but once it is used in the process it becomes another waste stream to be
treated. We undertook an investigation to determine if improvements could be made to this
process and our vision was to control the water supplied and ensure that this water was being
used efficiently. A dedicated stakeholder group was set up to oversee the water reduction
programme and the required resources and budget were made available to undertake actions
to improve the operation. Installation of new equipment and fitting efficient spray nozzles
along with combining hot water systems and reducing pipework have demonstrated a saving
of 13,600 m3 of water per annum and a carbon footprint saving of
11.5 tonnes CO2e per year.
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WEETABIX CORPORATE RESPONSIBILITY REPORT 2012
OUR ENVIRONMENT
WASTE
Our commitment
One of the biggest challenges we face is dealing with waste from our manufacturing
operations. Our ambitious commitment was to reduce waste to landfill by 50% by
2015. We are now committed to managing waste even better and investing in new
processes to reduce it even further.
What we are doing
We understand the scale of the challenge and have implemented a waste management
policy to reflect this. As part of this policy, we have delivered a series of activities to look
at waste management across our individual business units. As a result of this employee
engagement our data management processes have also been improved.
The measures we have taken mean we have already exceeded by 50% the pledge we
made in 2008. However, in recognition of the importance of this issue, we don’t feel we
should stop because we have already met our target.
We have therefore set ourselves a new pledge to send zero waste to landfill by 2015. We
will meet this ambition by working with local partners.
CASE STUDY
Reducing waste
In our Wheat Cleaning Plant we have implemented a new sorting system, which screens by
optical selection. This has significantly reduced the amount of good wheat which goes for
animal feed.
Our aim was to cut waste and make more of our key ingredient. Since we have been
improving the process, waste from the Wheat Cleaning Plant has been reduced by 70%.
The remaining waste is actually highly nutritious and can still be fed to livestock.
WEETABIX CORPORATE RESPONSIBILITY REPORT 2012
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OUR ENVIRONMENT
Packaging
Our commitment
We are constantly working to improve our packaging to keep our products at their very best
for all our customers. But it is equally important to reduce their impact on the environment
by: cutting emissions; minimising waste; and increasing recyclability to reduce our overall
carbon footprint. We remain committed to design and innovation to make our packaging
even better where possible.
What we are doing
In 2011 we reduced our packaging weight by 431 tonnes per year. This improves the fuel
efficiency of deliveries and also reduces the environmental impact of packaging production.
We achieved this reduction through working with our suppliers on improved paper
technologies that give us that same strength of packaging at reduced paper weights.
Weetabix cartons
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WEETABIX CORPORATE RESPONSIBILITY REPORT 2012
OUR ENVIRONMENT
All our packaging now contains on-pack recycling logos to help customers identify which
parts they can recycle and which are not currently recycled. Our cardboard cartons are
widely recycled by local councils as part of their kerbside collection schemes. These are often
turned into more cardboard, although some councils compost them instead.
We try to focus on solutions rather than problems so for example we found that while most
local authorities could not recycle our plastic materials, such as the inner bags, they could be
recycled along with plastic shopping bags in larger retailers. Weetabix were an active member
of the working group that undertook the research that made this possible.
We are actively engaging with a number of organisations as well as our suppliers to drive
improvements like this to enable the wider recycling of these materials. For example, we
have been involved in the formulation of the third version of the Courtauld Commitment2
and will be signing up to this extended pledge when invitations are issued. This latest pledge
is expected to focus on tackling issues around products, product design and lifecycle impacts.
CASE STUDY
Small changes can make a big difference
Four years ago our Weetabix 24 biscuits carton was made from card weighing 320gsm (grams
per square metre). By working with our carton manufacturer and through extensive trials in our
factories and through the supply chain, we reduced this to 300gsm.
We were delighted that our perseverance was worthwhile as this reduction saves 3.1 grams of
material per pack, which equates to 108 tonnes of card per year. This in turn reduces our carbon
footprint by over 119 tonnes of CO2e per year. Introducing the measures required to bring
about this small change makes a big difference.
2
The Courtauld Commitment is a responsibility deal aimed at improving resource efficiency and reducing
the carbon and wider environmental impact of the grocery retail sector. It is managed by WRAP (Waste &
Resources Action Programme).
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OUR ENVIRONMENT
TRANSPORT
Our commitment
We have developed a strategic transport plan to reduce the emissions of our transport
fleet and improve our business travel arrangements. We are committed to continually
reviewing these operations with a view to delivering further reductions.
Loading bay
What we are doing
We have outsourced our transport distribution fleet to a partner committed to the robust
Food and Drink Federation 10 point check list for greener food transport.
For example, having looked closely at how our products were stacked on standard pallets
we realised that there was a better solution in the form of what is known as the “hi-cube
network.” This system of higher stacking was introduced in November 2009. Through
continued research into this solution and implementation of it we have steadily increased
the product volumes placed on standard pallets, across our product range. This has cut
vehicle movements to retail distribution centres across the UK. Whenever possible we
further reduce vehicle movements by using the return journey to transport ingredients
and packaging back to the factory.
Driver training and awareness has resulted in the fleet exceeding set fuel figures by an
average of 1mpg across the fleet reducing our fuel usage and carbon footprint. The current
fleet operating from the site are all Euro 5 engines and 2013 will see the introduction
of the next generation of vehicles operating at Euro 6, which will further reduce vehicle
emissions. Overnight rail services continue to be used to move products from Burton
Latimer to Scotland and several other delivery points.
We continue to explore ways to implement our business travel policy to achieve
efficiencies.
CASE STUDY
Transport: Stacking up energy savings
Quantified savings from the hi-cube initiative has increased the maximum pallet heights
from 1.2m to 1.4m. Hi-cube packaging uses as much of the space available in our lorries to
maximise the number of products we transport in one go. This in turn reduces the number of
lorry loads per year, reducing fuel usage and emissions.
The change to hi-cube pallets at our Manchester factory has reduced the number of lorry
deliveries from there by 65 per year. While the change to hi-cube pallets at our Corby factory
has reduced the number of lorry deliveries from there by 188 per year.
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WEETABIX CORPORATE RESPONSIBILITY REPORT 2012
OUR PEOPLE
Our commitment
We recognise that the greatest resource of any company is its human resource. Weetabix
is totally committed to providing its employees with rewarding careers. We are also
committed to providing our staff with the opportunities they seek for their professional
development.
What are we doing
Today the Weetabix workforce is around 1,500 strong. The people who work for
Weetabix are dedicated to producing food of the highest quality and we as a company, are
committed to nurturing and retaining great talent along with bringing in new talent.
For example in marketing we are proud of how the Weetabix family of brands have grown
into global brands through the expertise and hard work of the team.
As a company in its 80th year, it is hardly surprising that for some local families we have
been the primary employer for three generations.
Today at Weetabix our people, through training and development, are helping us on
our world class operations journey. The program which is called “Performance Through
People” is key to the continued success of the business. This principle is fundamental
to change in the business. No longer do we rely on Managers to generate ideas for
improvement, we expect continuous improvement to be a key behaviour for all.
The Performance Through People program will enable our people to be empowered
and enabled to take ownership and responsibility at the correct level in the business
and our managers evolve from being great managers to becoming great leaders. This
is all delivered via the best practice training program covering Environment Health &
Safety, Teamwork, 5S, Focused Improvement, Visual Management, Quality, Asset Care,
Autonomous Maintenance and Set Up Time Reduction.
Weetabix has started to develop our internal trainers called ‘The Enablers’. Every one of
the 800 strong operations team members have started on the world class journey. The
rest of the business will follow in the coming year.
CASE STUDY
Weetabix Family Day
In the mid summer, over three weekends, Weetabix opened its doors to welcome the families
of employees to tour the plant and learn all about how Weetabix is made. Children were able
to sit in lorry cabs, try out the Weetabix Brands computer games and saw the production line
running for real.
The feedback from over 600 people from youngsters to grandparents was amazing and
reflected the company’s commitment to all its employees and their families.
Former employees could come along and everyone took home a goodie bag containing
products they had just seen being made.
Employee Family Day
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Doing things in the right way
We never stop learning about how to deliver sustainable change as we implement our
Corporate Responsibility commitments. We hope that this report has demonstrated that
we are making real progress. We have learned that big things like investing in state of the
art equipment have a huge impact on the environment but we have also learned that the
little things, like turning a tap off or finding another 0.2 metres room on a pallet
are no less important.
So as we go forward we are committed to making the necessary changes, great or small,
that will improve every part of our business to ensure that we do things in the right way.
Contact us
We welcome feedback on our corporate responsibility programme and reporting.
Please send any comments or suggestions to: Sava Mirkovic, Environment Manager,
sym@weetabix.co.uk
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WEETABIX CORPORATE RESPONSIBILITY REPORT 2012
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