pladis delivers key environmental gains with sustainability report

Notable environmental performance gains in emissions and recycling have been reported by the global pladis group in its latest sustainability report, writes Neill Barston.

The company, which the parent business to major brands including McVitie’s, Ülker and Godiva has unveiled its 2024 analysis, which has asserted key progress on cutting carbon emissions, as well as making strides in reducing packaging in its product portfolio.

Among its core achievements, the London headquartered business reduced  21,000 tonnes of carbon from its operations last year – equating to charging  12 billion smartphones or 14,000, one-way cross Atlantic flights from London to New York.

In terms of its on-the-ground achievements, the group reported that it has trained nearly 1,700 farmers in regenerative agricultural practices in Ivory Coat and used high tech satellites to help it source deforestation-free cocoa – which is at the heart of the much-anticipated, delayed landmark EUDR legislation policy. This is being brought in to deliver greater transparency in supply chains – despite some political and wider industry pushback about its implementation.

The legislation is linked to wider corporate due diligence frameworks that enshrine greater human rights for farmers and all levels of the supply chain for the confectionery and snacks industries.

On company waste, 90% of all plastic packaging globally is now recycle-ready, in line with internal guidelines. In the US, 400 tonnes of food waste were successfully repurposed—equivalent to 21 American truckloads—preventing it from ending up in landfill.

As the business noted, its report has delivered momentum on its ongoing goals relating to decarbonisation, reducing the use of plastics and furthering sustainable sourcing best practice.

 Anisa Missaghi, pladis’ chief sustainability and corporate affairs officer, commented:  “People know us for our brands but what that they might not know is our company is still extremely young – nine years old in fact.

“That means we’ve been on a very accelerated sustainability journey, to create plans and programmes that build our resilience and those of the communities and suppliers we work with.”

In addition, as the company observed, 2024 also heralded action on health and wellbeing. Innovation and reformulation delivered a 30% less sugar version of the iconic McVitie’s Digestive and new healthier snack bars under the Go Ahead brand in Türkiye, thanks to the inclusion of whole grains, ancient grains and fibre.

As the business added, people remained at the heart of pladis’ thinking. The launch of inclusive employment initiatives such as EmpowerHER in Egypt is helping to get more women into factory settings, while 90% of its eligible workforce is now accessing its skill build online academy, Thrive.

Anisa concluded: “In 2024, our approach to sustainability became simultaneously more ambitious and more granular. So we started to map a sustainability approach and strategy beyond our existing commitments and to dig deep into the detail to embed science-based sustainability targets and rigorous reporting into everything we do.

“It’s through this greater ambition, attention to detail and transparency, that we’ll deliver long-term change and resilience in a world of complex global supply chains and challenges.”