Member Article

£1m savings as University puts sustainability on menu

Quorn Foods, the global market leader in meat-alternative foods, has found a way to reduce its impact on the planet while also delivering £1m plus savings - by working with Sheffield Hallam University on its approach to sustainability.

The partnership to help understand and reduce the company’s carbon footprint has now resulted in the brand being certified by the Carbon Trust, after a project team identified that by taking simple steps to further address environmental impact, Quorn Foods can reduce costs by over £1m in the medium term.

Sheffield Hallam’s Knowledge Transfer Partnership (KTP), based at the University’s Centre for Food Innovation, carried out Initial Life Cycle Analysis (LCA) of the Quorn manufacturing process which identified that the core ingredient of Quorn contains less than half the embedded carbon found in beef.

Project leader, KTP associate and Quorn Foods’ sustainability officer, Louise Needham, said: “Carrying out this sophisticated level of carbon footprint analysis required the collection of high quality data, covering all stages of the lifecycle supply chain, including raw material input, product output, energy, waste and water use.

“This complex work paid off. Quorn is the first meat-alternative brand, and one of only a few food products in the world, to achieve this standard of Carbon Trust certification.

“The proven health benefits of Quorn, combined with its lower levels of embedded carbon compared with meat, suggests that by swapping Quorn for meat in meals, people can feel confident that it’s not only better for them, but also better for the planet.”

The KTP began in March 2011 with a view to improving the quality of data captured as part of the LCA and ensuring the latest standard for carbon footprinting, BSI PAS 2050, was adhered to.

The analysis focused on two products – Quorn mince and chicken-style pieces – both of which are available in a number of markets including UK, Sweden, Denmark, Norway and Finland.

Sarah Durkin, KTP manager for Sheffield Hallam’s Research and Innovation Office, added: “This partnership has brought together a successful business looking to increase its sustainability and security options, and a leading University with a reputation for innovation in this area.

“Through working together, savings of more than £1m have been identified, making it a highly successful piece of work.”

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by Mark Lane .