Leading food manufacturer Goodman Fielder has launched Better Together, its ambitious new sustainability strategy designed to help embed sustainability across the company’s business, culture, brands and products.
Developed to support global efforts to deliver the UN 2030 Sustainability Development Goals (SDGs), the Better Together strategy highlights nine progressive new sustainability goals, which aim to achieve:
- Net zero emissions by 2040;
- 100 per cent recyclable packaging by 2025;
- Meaningful improvement in the nutritional value of its products by 2025;
- 100 per cent sustainable packaging materials by 2030;
- 100 per cent renewable electricity by 2025;
- Reaching 40 million people with its sustainability message by 2030;
- Halving food waste by 2030;
- 100 per cent sustainably sourced ingredients by 2030; and
- Developing a diversity, inclusion and Indigenous recognition plan in 2021.
“Our products touch millions of people every day and we are committed to using that reach as a force for good,” says Kinda Grange, joint managing director at Goodman Fielder Australia.
“By driving progress against our four key focus areas of better products, better planet, better business and better communities, this strategy will provide us with a pathway to living our purpose and ensuring food is a force for good.
“We’re excited to deliver local solutions to global challenges, turn our bold ambition into action and continue to make a difference. We know that by working together, we can make everyday food better for everyone.”
In order to meet the new goals, this year, Goodman Fielder will launch a series of innovative new sustainability programs and initiatives, including:
- Move to 100 per cent renewable electricity in Australia and New Zealand. This will more than halve the greenhouse gas emissions from its operations in these countries and provide a pathway for net zero emissions. This initiative is the equivalent of taking 17,000 cars off the road.
- Improve the Health Star rating of 35 million loaves of bread.
- Replace 100 tonnes of virgin plastic with recycled content.
- Coordinate a soft plastic recycling campaign with over 1000 schools in Australia.
- Eliminate PVC from retail packaging across Australia and New Zealand.
The Better Together strategy also showcases some of Goodman Fielder’s recent sustainability achievements.
In the last 18 months, the company has reduced food waste in its bakeries by up to 90 per cent, donated over 1.5 million meals annually, helped its customer recover 240 tonnes of food waste each month, and reached 280,000 households with its Pampas ‘re-pie-cling’ cookbook with ideas for upcycling leftovers.
In 2020, Goodman Fielder also delivered a lighting replacement program and generate its first 1000MWh of solar electricity.
Meanwhile, in the sustainable packaging space, Goodman Fielder has replaced 100 tonnes of problematic PVC with PET (including 30 per cent recycled content) and removed 185 tonnes of plastic and 100 tonnes of cardboard from its packaging.
