The Arnott’s Group has released its second annual Sustainability Report, which highlighted its achievements and continued momentum, both internally and across the industry, to achieve key sustainability obligations.
Over the past 12 months, the Arnott’s Group has created a more accountable and transparent supply chain, committed to renewable energy solutions, widely adopted the Australasian Recycling Label (ARL), and provided a wider choice of food options, and more guidance on nutrition to consumers.
“Creating a more sustainable future is critical, and that’s why we haven’t, and will not waiver from our commitments, even when there are challenges like those we’ve seen in the past year, such as the Covid pandemic, global supply constraints, international conflict, and closer to home extreme weather conditions,” explained George Zoghbi, Arnott’s Group CEO.
“We have a responsibility, across our entire supply chain, from how we source and make our products, to how we connect with the community. Sustainability is at the heart of everything we do as a business, and it’s an imperative we continue to drive progress.”
According to Simon Lowden, chief transformation officer for the Arnott’s Group, the business had approached its sustainability agenda this past year with enthusiasm, and a desire to continue to do more and do better.
“We have spent the past year taking stock of our processes, measuring our outputs, and working closely with the industry, our customers, and our partners on emerging technologies, new materials and collective challenges,” he added.
“We have listened to the repeated calls from consumers worldwide, demanding greater accountability from companies, and we have acted.”
The report comes 12 months after the Arnott’s Group set itself four ambitious targets, namely to:
- Grow and source 100 per cent of key ingredients, namely flour, sugar, oil, dairy and cocoa products, sustainably by 2035;
- Achieve net zero emissions in operations (scope 1 and 2) by 2040, and across the value chain (scope 3) by 2050;
- Reduce, reuse or repurpose Australia and New Zealand plastic packaging by 10 per cent by 2025, and meet Australia’s 2025 National Packaging Targets set by Australian Packaging Covenant Organisation (APCO); and
- Increase choice, opportunity and wellbeing by promoting inclusion and belonging, supporting communities, and providing diverse food options and guidance on nutrition.
Some of the Arnott’s Group’s achievements within the packaging space highlighted in its report included:
- Securing the commitment of 90 per cent of suppliers of packaging and ingredients to responsible supply chain management, in line with the Group’s Responsible Sourcing Supplier Code;
- Implementing an ethical standards framework for suppliers, with 96.3 per cent compliance by packaging and ingredient suppliers;
- Refining waste management practices across manufacturing sites, including reducing landfill waste, diversifying recycling options, and implementing better waste infrastructure;
- Adopting the ARL on 72 per cent of its product portfolio, with a goal to achieve 100 per cent by 2024, one year ahead of the national targets;
- Transitioning all point-of-sale displays in Australia to 100 per cent recyclable alternatives; and
- Committing to transition the entire Arnott’s soft plastic packaging portfolio in ANZ to mono material by the end of 2023, removing nine tonnes of plastic from the environment each year and improving recyclability.
To dig deeper into the report, click here.
