Mornflake Cereals has scooped a Waitrose sustainable business award in recognition of the impact its £3.5m wind turbine has had on reducing CO2 in its operations.
As part of the inaugural ‘Waitrose Way’ awards, which celebrate initiatives by Waitrose suppliers’ to enhance the sustainability of their operations, supply chains and end products, Mornflake picked up the ‘Treading Lightly’ award for its achievement in reducing CO2 through wind power.
It achieved the saving after a wind turbine was installed at its Scottish oat mill in Boyndie, earlier this year, which has since enabled it generate all of the mill’s electricity needs, with a large surplus now being fed into the National Grid.
It is also anticipated that the turbine will help Mornflake save more than 4,000 tonnes of emissions every year and support its long-term ambition of becoming a carbon neutral business.
Marketing manager Richard Jones said: “Our aim is to deliver breakfast cereals to the bowl in the most eco-friendly way possible and we are developing a long-term strategy to become a carbon neutral business.”
More than 200 award entries were judged by a panel, including Zac Goldsmith MP, Dame Julia Cleverdon, Tristram Stuart and Dr Alan Knight, alongside senior Waitrose buyers and the retailer’s Corporate Social Responsibility team.
Waitrose head of ethical sourcing and sustainability Quentin Clark, said: “Mornflake Cereals have gone back to basics by using wind to run their business in a more sustainable way.
“As well the business and the environment benefiting, they are feeding electricity into the local community and offering Waitrose customers quality oats that have been produced with a clear conscience – a real award winning solution.”