Potato grower and manufacturer Farm Frites has released its first global sustainability report, demonstrating how the company is reducing its impact on the environment, from farm to fork, and the measures it is taking to be a leader in its industry by 2025.
The report details nine significant areas* where the company is accountable on both ethical and sustainable issues. This holistic view ensures that staff are happy, product quality is high and environmental impact is as low as possible:
Farm Frites started reporting on its sustainability measures four years ago, but the latest report accounting for year 2017 is the first time that a global outlook has given. Headquartered in the Netherlands, Farm Frites’ presence currently extends to the UK, Poland, Belgium and Egypt.
Health and safety of employees is a top priority, and with a 24 percent decrease in incidents since 2016, the focus on wellbeing is clear. Zero product recalls has been achieved, pointing to an efficient, well trained and happy workforce.
Greenhouse gases through factory emissions are down 4 percent and food waste from raw materials has been reduced by 1,700 tonnes.
But perhaps the largest change which has impacted positively on both waste water volume and the condition of the local fields where the company is headquartered, is the potato wash initiative.
Historically, the farmers that work with Farm Frites brought dirty potatoes to the factory to be washed in large volumes. Not only did this mean large amounts of water being used in the factory, it also led to a steady erosion of the fields as the soil was washed into waste water. Now farmers have been given equipment to wash the potatoes in the fields, allowing the soil to stay where it is needed and saving 74 Olympic swimming pools of water each year.
“We are proud of the figures we are publishing this year, particularly because we have taken our reporting to a global scale,’ explained Nic Townsend, trade marketer UK & Ireland at Farm Frites. “We now operate in four countries and have plans in process to expand into two more so it’s important to us that we look at operations as a whole and not just in each country.
“As a manufacturer we are all too aware of our impact on the environment. With increased factories and business activities comes increased responsibly to act ethically. Our goal is to be a beacon for the industry by 2025 and with these newly published figures we are encouraged by our ability to achieve this.”
Farm Frites’ sustainability report is viewable as an electronic presentation file which is accessible via laptop, computer, smartphone and tablet. https://sustainabilityreport2017.farmfrites.com/
