Branston Ltd has scooped a top retail award for its commitment
to reducing its environmental impact.
Branston was presented with the 'Nurture Award for Environment
and Community' at the Tesco produce Supplier Awards prestigious
gala dinner held at the Hilton Metropole in London last night. The
UK's leading potato supplier was awarded the prize for its
outstanding environmental initiatives and commitment to ongoing
reduction of its carbon footprint.
During the last year, Branston has completed a number of
projects which have helped it to reduce resource use. A key
achievement is the new purpose-built and Tesco-dedicated prepared
foods factory, which is aligned with Branston's philosophy of low
carbon = low cost. Energy efficiency was an integral part of the
design brief.
The new factory is part of the company's integrated approach to
resource use at its Lincoln site and was designed to maximize
efficiencies and reduce waste. The factory uses both borehole and
recycled water, recycles warm air from chillers and utilises waste
pallets and broken potato boxes in a biomass boiler. Food waste
from the factory and outgrade potatoes from the fresh potato
factory are used in a new Anaerobic Digestion plant which produces
a steady 400kW of electricity, representing a 40% reduction in
energy used on the site.
Graeme Beattie, managing director of Branston, collected the
award from Dan Quinn, category director of Tesco, in front of 700
other guests from the Tesco produce team and supply base.
Graeme said: "We are absolutely delighted to receive this award
from Tesco, which is a reflection of the hard work that has been
put into reducing our carbon footprint. This award is particularly
important to us, as we are being recognized by a retailer which
sets extremely high environmental standards for both itself and its
suppliers."
The Tesco Produce Supplier Award event was established to
recognise the contribution of its suppliers and growers. The awards
celebrate the success of those exceptional teams who together have
contributed to the growth and development of the Tesco business
during 2010.