FBD: F&B heavyweights back initiative to cut carbon footprint (UK)

| Sourced From Foodbizdaily.com |

November 06 2009 – Leading retailers and food and drink companies are backing a new drive to cut manufacturers’ carbon emissions and energy costs by up to a third and shrink the carbon footprints of finished products.

Tesco, Britvic and Highland Spring are among the major industry players supporting the Carbon Trust in its Industrial Energy Efficiency Accelerator (IEEA) scheme. Trade bodies including the Food and Drink Federation (FDF) and Dairy UK have also joined.

The £15m innovation programme is designed to cut carbon, reduce costs and make UK manufacturing more competitive. It also aims to help businesses respond effectively to the Carbon Reduction Commitment (CRC) Energy Efficiency Scheme, which comes into effect in April 2010.

In partnership with industry leaders, the organisation will identify and demonstrate new, lower-carbon solutions that can be replicated widely across each sector.

David North, community and government director at Tesco, said: “We need precisely this sort of collaboration on carbon and cost savings in manufacturing if we are to achieve the low-carbon economy we need.”

The FDF and its members will explore opportunities for improved recycling of heat from industrial ovens and more energy efficient methods of producing confectionery.

Stephen Reeson, FDF head of climate change and energy policy, said: “The food and drink manufacturing industry is the largest manufacturing sector in the country and reducing our environmental impact is a key objective of our members.

“The Carbon Trust’s Industrial Energy Efficiency Accelerator programme is a welcome additional support initiative in tackling sector specific energy issues.”

The Carbon Trust is an independent company set up in 2001 by the government.

by Sarah Hills FoodBizDaily.com London

Posted on November 13, 2009 · in UK

Tagged as: Carbon Emissions • Carbon Footprints • CRC • U. K. Carbon