Our Sustainability Ambition

Looking to our Future

By combining the strengths of our people, our farmers and our communities, we believe that together we are at the forefront of sustainability globally. We don’t stand still, but strive to continually set more ambitious targets, from reducing CO2 emissions on farms to reducing waste in our facilities. We are working with nature, not against it.

The Challenges

Sustainable, equitable, responsible growth is central to our business. For Glanbia Ireland, we strive to nurture and optimise our resources along every step of our supply chain for the betterment of all. We know there is always more to be done and are constantly taking steps towards a bright sustainable future.

Our Priorities

Carbon Reduction

Our drive for sustainability at all levels has seen our facilities move towards 100% of electricity from renewable sources. Our teams constantly assess new technologies and processes to become ever more efficient. We have improved energy efficiency and emissions by more than 40% since 2000. Our farmers too are embracing the latest technologies such as Low Emission Slurry Spreading (LESS) and solar power.

CIRCULAR ECONOMY

‘Zero landfill’ is something we say with pride at our Ingredients facilities. However, it goes much further than that. Our AgriChemWhey project seeks to turn by-products into cost-competitive, sustainable lactic acid for compost and bio-degradable plastics for the growing global green market. We minimise food wastage by donating tens of thousands of meals to charity each year through our charity partnership with FoodCloud. We are striving to design our packaging for circularity and to increase the share of recyclable, reusable or compostable packaging in our product portfolio.

Resource Management

We are working with our farmers to nurture the land. Our technical advisory team place a strong premium on the principles of regenerative agriculture and on soil health; including the adoption of min or no-till practices where possible to promote soil organic matter and deliver healthy environments where plants can thrive. We believe education is key, with our Open Source Future Farm knowledge transfer programme on farms driving sustainability and highlighting practical measures to improve nutrient management, enhance biodiversity through responsible hedgerow and farm management, and focus on water quality on farms. We have dedicated advisors providing one-to-one advice to farmers under the Agricultural Sustainability Support and Advice Programme (ASSAP) to prioritise water quality on farms. Our farmer suppliers have helped us achieve the internationally recognised ‘Animal Welfare Approved’ standard, which is highlighted on our Truly Grass Fed range, and shows that herds on our dairy farms are managed to the highest animal welfare standards.

Natural Nutrition

Our teams are committed to responsibly producing our nutritious products with natural credentials. At all times we aim to deliver to our communities a range of nutritious products and ingredients that promote health and wellbeing; that have low environmental pressure and impact; and that are accessible, affordable, safe and equitable.