The Arnott’s Group has released its third annual Sustainability Report, recording notable progress against its targets with headway in the areas of packaging recyclability, emissions reduction and tracking, and sustainable sourcing of ingredients.
In the realm of packaging, the company has thus far eliminated 500+ tonnes of packaging from its products by re-engineering some of its materials, reducing the thickness and grammage, along with more than 20 tonnes of plastic.
The Group also transitioned its soft plastic packaging from multi-material films to fully recyclable mono-material wrappers across 85 per cent of Arnott’s biscuits, with the remaining 15 per cent a work in progress.
It has also already adopted the Australian Recycling Label on 93 per cent of its product portfolio, with the company saying it is now set to reach its 100 per cent target two years ahead of its initial 2025 plan.
Arnott’s has deepened its industry collaboration even further through memberships with the Australian Packaging Covenant Organisation (APCO), National Plastics Recycling Scheme (NPRS), ANZPAC Plastics Pact, NZ Soft Plastic Recycling, NZ Packaging Forum, and Woolworths Sustainability Council.
In recognition of all its efforts, the Group was the recipient of the 2022 Sustainable Packaging Excellence Award at the APCO Annual Awards.
George Zoghbi, CEO of Arnott’s Group, said he was incredibly proud of the strides the business had taken amidst a backdrop of competing external pressures, including rising inflation and global supply chain challenges.
“This year, many businesses have had to ask themselves the difficult question of how they can resist pressures to de-prioritise sustainability, particularly when the price tag is high or where the return on investment is not immediate,” he said.
“Despite these pressures, the Group has remained laser focused on progress in this space, recognising that our sustainability challenges and our business ambitions are inextricably linked – and that to overcome the challenges of the future, you must weather the challenges of the present.”
Responsible for steering the sustainability agenda within the Arnott’s Group is chief transformation officer, Simon Lowden, who on the eve of the report’s release, spoke about the need to use the company’s influence to partner with industry in order to chart a path forward.
“Our sustainability ambitions can only be achieved if we can see the full picture of our impact and connect the dots between our past and our future – between our suppliers, our operations and our customers. All with the goal of progressing toward our ambition for a sustainable future,” Lowden explained.
The Arnott’s sustainability strategy is informed by four targets: Circular Packaging, Net Zero Emissions, Sustainable Ingredients, and Thriving Communities.
Some of the other key highlights from the 2023 report include:
- The installation of 2100 solar panels across two manufacturing sites and corporate head office, as part of its plan to transition to 100 per cent renewable by 2029;
- Partnering with Microsoft to become the first business in Australia to deploy its Microsoft Sustainability Manager solution;
- Participating in a program with Allied Pinnacle and Cool Soils to measure the emissions baseline from 10 soft wheat growers across 1417 hectares in Australia;
- Having 98 per cent of Australian ingredient and packaging suppliers committing to the Group’s Responsible Supplier Code;
- One third of its products sold in Australia having Health Star Ratings of 3.5 or higher two years ahead of schedule;
- Increased its range of portion control snacks in Australia by 41 per cent compared to FY21;
- Provided consumers in Australia with almost 320 million servings of whole grains, 1.2 million kilograms of fibre, 140 million servings of vegetables, and 36.5 million servings of fruit;
- Donating 563,000+ meals to Foodbank Australia; and
- Received final endorsement from Reconciliation Australia for its Reflect Reconciliation Action Plan.
To take a deeper dive into the report and all of the Group’s sustainability achievements and commitments, click here.
