Producing food that doesn’t cost the Earth is integral to everything we do. That is why we launched Foundation Earth – an independent, international non-profit which seeks to deliver a systemic change in the way food is produced globally. And it is why a central pillar of our Bigger Picture programme is reducing the environmental impact of the food we produce here at Finnebrogue.
net zero GREENHOUSE GAS (GHG) emissions
carbon neutral (operational)
100% of packaging will be reusable or recyclable.
We have invested in PV solar panels to reduce our environmental impact and our reliance on fossil fuels.
The energy generated from the panels at our DBP site, which produces all our sausages and burgers, is 109,779 kWh per quarter or just under 500,000 kW per year – the equivalent to 167 households from the grid.
A new array of solar panels on our plant-based site (OTB), installed in summer 2023, reduce our CO2 by 582,064kgs/year and produce 1,238,658kWhs/year of electricity for the site – the equivalent of 427 UK households’ annual electricity consumption from the grid.
Finnebrogue has been ‘zero waste to landfill’ since 2015. Our waste is recycled, sent for anaerobic digestion or recovered for energy.
• We have sent 2,969 tonnes of food waste to anaerobic digestion plants since 2016.
• Our category 3 food waste – processed via anaerobic digestion and refinement to biofuel, generates 984 MWh of energy, the equivalent to 339 UK households annual energy consumption.
Finnebrogue’s two Dissolved Air Flotation (DAF) plants clean 111,119 m3 of wastewater annually. The sludge recovered from this process is dehydrated and the organic matter is used for compost.
Finnebrogue has signed the Climate Action Pledge NI, a public commitment to achieving an ambitious target of reducing its greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions by 30% by 2030. The Pledge is a driver for business to take action on the climate emergency, working to ensure a liveable future and limit the increase in global temperatures well below 2°C.
Finnebrogue has committed to increasing the biodiversity around its four manufacturing sites in Downpatrick, County Down. To support this initiative, Finnebrogue has become signatories to the All-Ireland Pollinator Plan (AIPP), which will help guide us in our efforts to make more pollinator-friendly sites.
As part of its Bigger Picture programme to produce food that doesn’t cost the Earth, Finnebrogue has committed to support the delivery of the UK Food Waste Reduction (FWR) Roadmap, operated by Waste and Resource Action Programme (WRAP). We have set an ambitious target to reduce food waste across its four sites in Downpatrick by 50%. In terms of edible surplus food, we have set a target of 100 per cent redistribution. Through organisations like Fareshare, the Bread and Butter Foundation, Children in Northern Ireland Charity and many local groups, we will ensure our surplus products goes to those who need it.