Energy Conservation & Management

Our First CDP Rating, Establishing a Platform and Setting

A core objective of our Vision 20/20 project was to facilitate our first Group-wide submission to the Carbon Disclosure Project (CDP), the cross-industry global ratings agency. In July 2019 we submitted our first report, covering 2018, for rating in accordance with the CDP’s independent scoring methodology. In January 2020 we achieved a “C” Rating under Climate Change. Work on our 2019 submission is underway and will see us submit data on Water consumption for the first time. 

While our first submission was an achievement in itself, the process through which we collated core data and the structures put in place to achieve this end yielded dividends extending far beyond our rating. In the first instance, we collated our first Scope 1 and 2 Carbon Footprint figure for the Total Produce Group internationally* (below). In calculating this figure, we have developed a site by site, business by business profile of energy consumption across our Group. Bringing unprecedented transparency to our strengths and weaknesses, this exercise provided the basis for a Group league table of energy users; establishing internal Group benchmarks across facilities for comparison purposes and bringing into sharp focus areas where improvement is needed.

Our ambition going forward will see us extend detailed measurement to Water consumption and ultimately Scope 3 emissions. However, using 2018 as our base year we believe we have already created a platform upon which to build and internal structures through which to affect meaningful change.