As a responsible business, we recognise that sustainability needs to be fully embedded into everything we do. We’ve set sustainability as a strategic priority within our Vision 25 strategy, with overarching targets and goals against our core sustainability material issues.
We regularly review progress against these targets within our Sustainability Steering Group and Planet Forum, our Divisional updates and as part of our Vision 25 strategy to ensure targets are met.
We also have a network of Planet Champions across each Division who work with our overarching Planet Forum to support local Planet initiatives, engagement events and embedding our sustainability strategy across the Group.
Our Sustainability Priorities:
Waste
Our sites avoid sending any waste to landfills. We have set waste reduction goals for our Group to reduce waste (normalised against output) by 25% from 2019 to the end of 2025. These have been cascaded by Divisions to set targets to improve our waste performance and efficiency across the Group.
We work closely with partners such as FareShare or Company Shop to ensure any edible surplus stays in the food chain and is not wasted.
Our British Pepper & Spice sites have also implemented WRAP’s Food Waste Reduction Roadmap as part of their commitments to reduce food waste in line with UN sustainable development goals.
Across our Group, we have raised awareness about waste and how our people can influence this through our Planet Podcasts, training and by supporting events like Food Waste Action Week.
Energy
Since 2018, we have moved more than 90% of our electricity to renewable sources. We have also set Scope 1 and 2 reduction targets as part of our Vision 25 strategy which are cascaded to a Divisional level.
We comply with all energy reporting and compliance requirements such as SECR and ESOS. We continue to look for opportunities to improve energy efficiency across our operations.
We are working towards achieving Net Zero by 2040 and are currently working on calculating our Scope 3 emissions and setting a roadmap towards this.
To support this, we have already ensured our short and medium-term targets for site-based emissions are aligned with a science-based target approach (1.5°C).
Packaging
We are committed to ensuring we use sustainable packaging where possible to support our sustainability commitments. Where practicable, our aim is to use fully recyclable packaging.
Some of the activities we have already undertaken to support these goals include:
- Working with our packaging partners to reduce the weight of glass packaging where practicable.
- Working with our packaging partners to increase recycled content in plastic packaging where appropriate.
- Working with our customers to identify future sustainable packaging opportunities and innovation.
Sustainable Sourcing
Across the SHS Group, we buy materials from over 100 countries. We work closely with our supply partners and supply chain to ensure that we source our raw materials and products as responsibly as practicable. This priority is a particular focus within our manufacturing Divisions.
We use Sedex as a key tool in our sustainability risk analysis across the Group. Using Sedex tools and services helps our sites work with suppliers to ensure they are upholding safe, ethical and sustainable practices, helping us to protect the working conditions for people working within our supply chain.
Water
Water is a precious resource and vital to all our livelihoods. For several of our businesses, water is also a vital raw material in manufacturing our products.
Our priority is to increase our water efficiency and minimise the amount of wastewater we generate, as well as ensure our operations are as sustainable as possible.
