Pilgrim’s UK has announced its plans to invest over £10 million into innovations and operational improvements as part of its 12-month span of sustainability projects.
The pig farmer and pork producer aims to use the investment to help achieve its plans of becoming a net zero business by 2030.
Building on Pilgrim’s local solar and wind projects, which will be expanding across all of its manufacturing plants, the company is also adding LED lighting to all sites, switching out gas boilers with heat pumps and optimising refrigeration systems.
As a result, these upgrades will help to reduce carbon emissions by 11,000 tonnes annually.
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The company will also continue to use 100% renewable electricity across its manufacturing sites and has pledged to use fully verified, zero-deforestation sustainable soya by 2025 in a bid to reduce its scope three emissions.
To date, Pilgrim’s UK efforts in sustainable farming has contributed to an average on farm footprint of 2.35kg CO2e/kgLW, half the industry level of emissions in the UK’s pig production processes.
“The sector has grappled with significant challenges over the past few years, which we continue to help our farmer network and supply chain partners to navigate. But our unwavering commitment to our sustainability roadmap remains at the heart of our business,” Pilgrim’s UK chief financial officer, Morten Knudsen said.
“We recognise as one of the leading farming and food businesses here in the UK, we have a responsibility to be trailblazers in this space, supporting our global ambitions.
“We want to accelerate our progress, working with the entire value chain, so that we can continue to go further and faster to becoming a net zero business and that means investing in vital sustainability projects like these to help us get there.”
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