HELSINKI, Finland – Paulig has reached carbon neutrality in total UK production. Worldwide, the factory, which produces Santa Maria spices and tortilla bread in Milton Keynes in the UK, has become the company’s sixth to achieve carbon neutrality.
Vital to achieving this was switching the gas used for baking and frying to renewable gas. As a result, the total emissions from Paulig’s operations are reduced by up to 4%, contributing to the company’s overall objective of lowering them by 80% by 2030 compared to the 2018 baseline.
As part of its ambitious sustainability programme, Paulig has obtained the CarbonNeutral® building certification for its UK tortilla factory. This was achieved by reducing the factory’s emissions and compensating for unavoidable emissions.
“The food and beverage industry plays an important role in mitigating climate change. Paulig aims to become a sustainable frontrunner in the industry, to serve as an example and hopefully inspire others to take similar measures,” says Lea Rankinen, Director, Sustainability & Public Affairs at Paulig.
The Milton Keynes factory was the sixth Paulig factory to become carbon neutral. Previously, Paulig has certified carbon neutrality for three factories based in Finland and two in Sweden. This is part of Paulig’s plan to make all ten factories carbon neutral by 2023.
The CarbonNeutral® building certification is provided by Natural Capital Partners, and is in accordance with The CarbonNeutral Protocol, the leading framework for carbon neutrality.
The Finnish family-owned food and beverage company Paulig is the European leader of Tex Mex with products sold in 70 countries globally.
Paulig employs 120 people in the UK, based in Kingston, Milton Keynes, and have been there since 2006
The factory has four automated production lines, which can produce up to 2.5 million flour tortillas per day and operates 24 hours a day, seven days a week. We service both retail and out of home, which includes different varieties such as White, Wholemeal, Chapati and speciality flavours like Spinach or Beetroot.
Little streams make big rivers
Naturally, making factories carbon neutral is just one part of Paulig’s Sustainability Approach, which is based on the UN’s Global Goals of sustainable development. At a high level, it consists of three main ambitions that Paulig has pledged to fulfil by 2030:
- 70% of Paulig’s net sales will come from products and services that enable the health and wellbeing of people and the planet
- 100% of raw materials from high-risk areas come from sustainable sources verified by external partners
- 80% less GHG emissions from own operations, 50% less emissions in the value chain, and all packages will be recyclable and made from renewable or recycled materials
Making the Milton Keynes plant carbon neutral contributed significantly towards the climate ambition – the certification reduced Paulig’s overall emissions by as much as 4%, taking the company that much closer to its overall aim.
According to Lea Rankinen, this demonstrates how achieving sustainability always comes down to concrete actions, big and small.
“Such an important milestone for our business and great news for our customers in the UK and Ireland,” comments Simon Solway, Country Manager Out of Home (OOH) & Retail UK & Ireland. “Customers are keen to understand what our sustainability credentials are, and we are happy to demonstrate everything we at Paulig and Santa Maria are doing. Getting the Milton Keynes factory carbon neutral is adding to our outstanding credentials.”
“Similarly, while businesses and other organisations must start adopting sustainable ways of operating, here at Paulig we also want to encourage consumers to make better choices. Every small change matters. When it comes to food, this doesn’t mean sacrificing taste or convenience – the selection of more sustainable options that taste amazing keeps growing every day,” Lea Rankinen says.
