Six F&B producers have successfully impressed the FMEA judges and are now in the running to be crowned the winner of the ESG Excellence Award 2025.
Speaking with returning ESG judge, Rich Singleton Menzies LLP’s finance & sustainability director, he highlighted how impressive the line-up was this year: “I am continually impressed by the calibre of entries we receive. This year was no exception, with numerous outstanding submissions that made our task of selecting winners incredibly challenging. The dedication and innovation demonstrated by all participants are truly commendable and inspiring.”
We’ll find out who is champ next year – for now, let’s meet the finalists.
Britvic
In 2020, Britvic formally launched its sustainable business strategy, framed under twin complementary pillars of healthier people and a healthier planet.
Under each of these pillars, the business has established clear principles, targets and actions to guide how it develops, makes and markets soft drinks.
Since its launch, Britvic has made great strides – from driving down calories across its portfolio, to cutting Scope 1 and Scope 2 carbon emissions (by almost a third since 2017), to pioneering dispense technology, and investing in employees’ wellness and wellbeing.
Recent ESG-related actions it has taken include the installation of a new £8m heat recovery system at its London factory in Beckton to cut emissions, alongside a roadshow to address the physical, psychological and social wellbeing of its supply chain workforce.
Oversight of its strategy is conducted by an ESG Committee at board level, which is supported by the sustainability team and Britvic’s head of sustainability. Each year, they ensure the business’s sustainability goals are prioritised equally with financial performance. These are then regularly reviewed and objectives adjusted accordingly.
The company also claims the title of the first UK soft drinks company to have a 1.5°C target approved by the Science Based Targets initiative.
Dunbia
Dunbia’s updated sustainability strategy, Plan Four Zero announced in November 2022, is looking to accelerate its emissions reduction in the period to 2030 with a £100m investment.
Initiatives to drive this progress include the development of eco-friendly packaging, investment in renewable energy projects, and the use of advanced waste management systems.
The company’s science-based targets were approved in 2019, and it has achieved a 49% reduction in scope 1 and 2 emissions following a location-based approach.
It has also reduced its Scope 3 emissions intensity by 15% compared to a near-term target of 28% by 2030, from a 2016 baseline.
In 2023, it committed to setting long-term, net-zero science-based targets, including forestry, land and agricultural (FLAG) and non-FLAG targets, with the ambition of reaching net zero by 2050.
Additional progress includes a saving of 22,000m3 of water a year through a range of capital expenditure projects and system upgrades. This has resulted in a total saving of 3.1m m3 – enough water to fill 1,243 Olympic sized swimming pools.
Dunbia has also saved enough energy to power 20,875 homes for a year, and rescued 885 tonnes of plastic across its rigid trays, films and flexibles.
In 2023, the company introduced a next generation recruitment system to strengthen its recruitment procedures and build in capacity for attracting a more diverse range of talent at all levels. Between 2021-2023, Dunbia invested more than £11m on learning and talent development, supporting employees to complete 644,000 hours of training.
Marshfield Farm Ice Cream
Marshfield Farm is a family business known for creating award-winning ice cream on its farm in the South West of England. As family farmers for over 50 years, the well-being of its herd of 250 cows and the health of the land has always been at the heart of every decision.
In 2022, the company wanted to formalise its approach to sustainability. This came at the same time it was beginning its journey to becoming a B Corp. As part of this. Marshfield issued a materiality assessment, asking stakeholders to feedback on what was most important to them. From there, it began to form its ESG pillars.
The company recruited an ESG committee from different areas of the business, who established the 10 ESG goals, each taking responsibility for measuring, tracking and reporting on their respective area.
Some milestones achieved by the business include the reduction of carbon emissions from its ingredients, which were responsible for 77% of its Scope 3 emissions. To this end, Marshfield has switched two of its most carbon demanding ingredients for more sustainable versions. It has also reduced its Scope 2 emissions through the installation of additional solar panels, increasing its solar power capacity by 400% and installing an increased capacity wood pellet boulder.
The company has also supported the wellbeing of its team through a company management restructure, making clearly defined team leaders, and rolling out a formal review process with individual performance and ESG targets to improve development and training across the team.
Pilgrim’s Europe
Pilgrim’s Europe is a leading UK and European food company employing 20,000 team members across 40+ sites in the UK, Ireland, France and The Netherlands.
The business ‘Pilgrim’s Europe’ is a product of its recent restructure, bringing together Moy Park, Pilgrim’s UK, Pilgrim’s Food Masters, and Pilgrim’s Shared Services.
This year it has continued to accelerate its progress on reducing its carbon footprint in both its manufacturing and farming estate. It has expanded its work towards creating more transparent livestock supply chains and continued to support its community delivering 1m meals in 2023 through FareShare and other community partners. It has also invested in several R&D projects designed to fast-track its sustainability strategy.
Through its responsible sourcing policy, Pilgrims has committed to zero deforestation and works across its supply chains and with key industry partners to tackle this global challenge.
Moreover, as a signatory of the UK Soy Manifesto, is has committed to ensuring all physical shipments of soya to the UK are verified to be fully implemented immediately where possible and no later than 2025.
Raynor Foods
A £2.5m Innovate UK supported project, Raynor’s Food S3 programme (Smart People + Smart Process = Smart Factory) focuses on reducing total emissions within its factory by 30%.
This reduction is in part achieved by utilising advanced digital technologies to record, capture and then provide insights on how to substantially reduce emissions using technologies such as AI, sub-metering and real time location systems (RTLS). Then, through gamification, Raynor can leverage its workforce to unlock improvement opportunities and reward its colleagues for their efforts.
For every measurable £1 saved, 20p goes into a prize fund with rewards including £15,000 ‘dream prizes’, support for a family’s education needs or cash equivalent vouchers accessed through Perkbox.
The technology also allows Raynor Foods to report its Scope 3 emissions to its customers, helping stakeholders to select less carbon-intensive food and support their own carbon reporting requirements.
Other recent strides from Raynor include industry-wide free access to its carbon daily allowance, providing free food safety training to the local homeless charity in Chelmsford; supporting the IFST Student Career Launchpad event; sponsoring several charity events including the Rotary Association walk for dementia; donating food to several charities; and leading on the review of the sixth version of ‘Controlling Listeria in the Supply Chain’ for the NHS and British Sandwich Association (BSA).
Stateside Foods
Stateside Foods’ Sustainability Strategy has been translated into three key pillars: planet, people and product.
In the planet pillar, the company has committed to achieving net zero carbon emissions across its operations and supply chain, while also tackling waste and promoting renewable energy usage.
Its people pillar focuses on colleague safety, equality and community engagement, fostering a supportive and inclusive workplace.
It assesses progress in achieving a ‘Zero Lost Time Accidents’ culture and evaluates employee engagement through feedback surveys. Moreover, it measures its success in community engagement initiatives, tracking participation in educational programmes and partnerships. Its internal promotion rates and training completion metrics reflect its commitment to professional development and diversity.
While the product pillar, prioritises ethical sourcing, focusing on minimising the impact of its packaging, and developing healthy and sustainable diets as well as enabling sustainable practices in its supply chain.
So far, the company has removed almost 150 tons of non-recyclable plastics, engaged more than 750 young people through its community initiatives, and achieved 100% Sedex compliance with its suppliers.
Since 2019, the company has been using 100% renewable electricity and continue to enhance energy efficiency through project and CAPEX templates. Energy performance indicators (EnPIs) at all factories drive energy efficiency, and it is also progressing towards climate change agreement targets.
The business has a zero waste to landfill and are improving recycling through better segregation. Its ‘Waste Warrior’ programme empowers employees to champion waste management, and it has also established KPIs to monitor and reduce food waste and manage wastewater within discharge consent limits.
The company has also been making strides in training, with 35% of employees moving into ‘skilled’ roles last year and every shift having a mental health first aider present.
Moreover, in response to employee feedback, it has launched its 10-month ‘Step-up to Leadership’ programme, designed to help employees transition into leadership roles. It has also rolled out job shadowing opportunities, enabling employees to explore different departments and gain broader insights into the business.
It is currently trialling a programme to improve employees' English skills, boosting confidence and supporting career progression.
The winners for next year’s awards will be announced at a gala dinner held at the London Hilton Bankside. Tickets are available to purchase here.
The Food Manufacture Excellence Awards 2025 are kindly supported by headliner Menzies and event sponsors Niras, Quor, and Watermill Press.
You can read the full line-up of Food Manufacture Excellence Awards finalists here.