Irish business raises the sustainability bar

Irish businesses, particularly in recent generations, have been pioneers when it comes to setting and achieving sustainability goals.

One good example of this is Origin Green, the Bord Bia-led national food and drink sustainability programme. Since its launch in 2012, Origin Green has supported huge progress in the Irish food and drink industry’s journey to a more sustainable future.

Having embedded the sustainability agenda across businesses by developing expertise and growing skills at board and C-suite level, the Origin Green evolution as the world’s only national food and drink sustainability programme has enabled the industry to set and achieve measurable targets that respect the environment and serve local communities more effectively.

Operating on a national scale, uniting government, the private sector and the full supply chain from farmers to food producers and right through to the foodservice and retail sectors, Origin Green members account for 90 per cent of our food and drink exports and more than 70 per cent of our domestic retail market.

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Observies Board Bia chief executive Michael Murphy: “The sustainability expectations and requirements of global consumers are accelerating, and the food, drink and horticulture industry must embed the knowledge and ambition for companies to meet these standards.”

The benefits of Origin Green are more environmentally aware farms, an important focus on community and more sustainable food and drink production which ultimately contribute to sustainable livelihoods. This is what makes Ireland’s food and drink produce the first choice globally — trusted as sustainably produced by people who care.

In October 2021, Bord Bia published the results of the Origin Green Global Sustainability Survey, one of the most extensive global surveys ever undertaken of thought leaders’, consumers’ and trade buyers’ attitudes to sustainability. Focusing domestically and on 12 of Ireland’s most important export markets, the study indicated that emissions were a key topic for agenda setters and customers.

Two-thirds of trade buyers globally say “having the lowest possible greenhouse gas emissions/carbon footprint” is important when choosing a supplier, and that sustainability is becoming a key purchasing criteria, along with quality, price and supply.

In many areas of sustainability, Ireland already has a strong competitive advantage, as evidenced, for example, in grass-fed production of beef and dairy. In others, such as food waste, the research makes the clear case for businesses to engage in measurable action across a range of sustainability issues.

The survey also identified clear benefits to companies that could demonstrate positive action and leadership on key sustainability issues. Bord Bia believes there is an opportunity for Irish brands to stand out if they can communicate in a clear way. It also highlighted that consumers are looking for both information and leadership from food producers.

The Origin Green programme is the world’s first national sustainability programme from farm to fork, and members are well placed to benefit from this consumer need for leadership.

Carbery has become a leading international dairy, nutritional and flavour company, exporting to more than 50 markets and employing almost 1,000 people in eight countries

In its position as an international dairy, flavours and nutritional ingredients company headquartered in Ballineen, Co Cork, Carbery first began by offering west Cork farmers a means to add value to their milk.

Across its more than 50-year history, the company has grown to become a leading international dairy, nutritional and flavour company, exporting to more than 50 markets and employing almost 1,000 people in eight countries.

Owned by four Irish dairy co-operatives — Bandon, Barryroe, Drinagh and Lisavaird — the Carbery HQ is located in the heart of the communities they support.

Carbery has built a reputation for a commitment to sustainability since its foundation, driven by both the cooperative ethos and the mission of the business, which is to create a sustainable future for farming families. The circular economy model within their production facility in Ballineen is highly regarded, generating value-add products from what would once have been considered waste material.

The commitment to producing sustainably with as little environmental impact as possible is very clear in the priority that the company places on supporting sustainability on the farms of their suppliers.

“Carbery suppliers are progressive, forward-thinking, responsible farmers,” says Enda Buckley, the company’s director of sustainabilityy. “The initiatives that we have championed to improve farm sustainability have always received tremendous support, and a lot of what we do is actually in response to requests from progressive farmers.”

He adds that the programme of work Carbery undertakes with its farmer shareholders is very broad and includes a few flagship projects. Through its annual Milk Quality and Sustainability Awards, Carbery recognises the farmer shareholders who produce the highest quality milk in the most sustainable way.

This year, the overall winner was Ian Kingston and family, farming in Sillertane, Dunmanway, Co Cork.

Carbery chief executive Jason Hawkins says the awards provide a great opportunity every year to meet and recognise some of the farmer shareholders who are ambassadors for the sector and for what they do.

“Promoting and protecting Irish family farming will always be the key objective of Carbery,” he says, “and being able to recognise farmers of the calibre of this year’s winner and finalists means that we can have confidence in both our quality credentials, and our reputation for sustainable farming.”

The Farm Zero C project, a partnership between Carbery and BiOrbic, aims to create a model for a climate neutral, economically viable dairy farm. The project, based on Shinagh Farm near Bandon, has seen a team of researchers and scientists working in partnership with this farm, and other farmers to trial a range of approaches and technologies — some established, many new — to bring the carbon footprint of the farm to net zero.

Since the project began in 2019, the farm has reduced their emissions by 17 per cent. This year Carbery introduced a visitor and innovation centre on the farm to better facilitate the many interested farmers and stakeholders who are coming through the project and taking the learnings back to their own farms. The project received €2 million funding support from Science Foundation Ireland in 2021.

“There is a significant journey for farmers and the sector to go on to reduce emissions, especially to meet the national target of 25 per cent reduction by 2025,” Hawkins says. “However, we know from our interactions with farmers, and as the projects above show, this journey has already been underway — for the majority of farmers — for a significant period.

“With the right support, information and direction, there is a solid foundation for farmers, government, scientists and the public to work together to achieve these targets and create a genuinely sustainable food system.”

‘Origin Green measures the footprint of our farming and food production, and feeds back practical advice and knowledge to farmers and producers’

Earlier this year, Qu Dongyu, director-general of the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO), accompanied by senior officials and representatives from the Department of Agriculture, Food and Marine, visited the new Bord Bia Global Hub in Ballsbridge to witness how the Irish food, drink, and horticulture sector is driving the sustainability agenda enabled by the Origin Green programme.

Deirdre Ryan, director of Origin Green and Quality Assurance, says: “Origin Green measures the footprint of our farming and food production, and feeds back practical advice and knowledge to farmers and producers to improve sustainability.”

The discussion had a strong focus on Ireland’s Food Vision 2030, a landmark strategy for the Irish agrifood sector that aims to transform Ireland’s agriculture, food, forestry, and marine sectors in the period to 2030.

The strategy will expand the ambition of Origin Green and accelerate Bord Bia’s progress in fostering a thriving agrifood sector that is responsive to the future needs of people and our planet.

“Ireland’s Food Vision 2030 and the FAO Strategic Framework 2022-2031 have much in common,” said Dongyu. “Ireland has a wealth of knowledge to offer and I look forward to continuing our close collaboration and knowledge sharing, as we work towards the transformation to more efficient, inclusive, resilient and sustainable agrifood systems.”

The director-general was impressed to learn about sustainability practices at farm level and how Irish farmers are taking action to generate sustainability for generations to come.

“We can produce food in an environmentally friendly way without harming local communities. To make agrifood systems more sustainable, we must ensure that all actors along the value chain have access to research, training, and agricultural innovation.”

Origin Green is in a unique position to contribute directly to the achievement of the 17 United Nations Sustainable Development Goals, already having aligned 15 of the programmes.