We believe in harnessing the full value of food – and in helping more by wasting less. It’s why we’re ensuring excess food gets to those who need it most.

In the UK, we’re launching the Seconds Project. Like supermarkets selling boxes of broken cookies or wonky veggies, the Seconds Project offers perfectly imperfect products at a discount. Twice weekly, items are made available cheaper than in-store prices. Unsold products are donated to FareShare, the UK’s network of charitable food redistributors. These donations help fight hunger and reduce waste by distributing food to nearly 9,500 frontline organizations.

Our journey starts with diverting operational waste from landfill. It continues with keeping good food out of the trash. The Seconds Project is one more way we’ll reduce our food footprint as part of the 10X20X30 initiative – contributing to a shared goal to halve food waste by 2030.

We want to create a better tomorrow. It’s why, every day, we’re protecting our environment and showing up for our communities. And our commitment hasn’t gone unnoticed.

The Western New York Sustainable Business Roundtable recently celebrated our progress with a Silver-level award for sustainability efforts, along with its 2021 Community Impact Award.

The Community Impact Award recognized our partnership with Massachusetts Avenue Project (MAP), a nonprofit urban farm. MAP is creating multiple waves of change – boosting youth employment and supplying the community with fresh, healthy, affordable and culturally appropriate food.

And during the pandemic, we secured funding for MAP’s Mobile Market Food Access Initiative. Supporting local food security, the initiative served over 1,500 people in need.

We’re stepping up to leave a lighter packaging footprint.

It’s a move we’re making because it’s right for the planet and right for our customers. Because we know they share our commitment to transforming packaging for the better.

At Rich’s UK, we’ve worked closely with suppliers to reduce plastic content in pastry trays and films. The expected material reductions are significant – over eight tonnes of plastic. Every year. The same weight as about 41,000 cinnamon rolls.

The trays are made from PET – a grade of plastic widely recycled in the UK – making them 100% recyclable. They also contain 75% recycled content – giving new life to old materials and promoting a circular economy.

Our approach to sustainable packaging is simple: use fewer materials, move to lower-impact options and more recycled content, and strengthen systems to close the loop.

Water is important to our operations, and we know the responsibility this brings for stewardship. We are committed to partnering to preserve it to meet the needs of our communities, now and far into the future. Globally, we’re developing circular systems for water use – systems that help us recycle and reuse this precious resource.

At Rich’s India, our plant in Pune has moved to a circular water approach. Today, the site produces zero wastewater discharge, recapturing water before it goes down the drain.

Rich’s Colombia is also reducing consumption and increasing efficient water use. This includes enhancing sanitation practices to recapture as much water as possible. And, by collaborating across borders, other facilities globally are taking Colombia’s learnings to inform their own efforts.

We’re flipping the switch on how we power our facilities. Turning to renewables. Finding more efficient ways to work.

Since 2016, we’ve reduced emissions intensity by 17% and removed over 30,000 tonnes of carbon from the environment. Now, as we move to renewables, we’re finding new and better ways to electrify Rich’s. All to reach our goal to reduce carbon emissions intensity by 25% by 2025.

Across our network – China, Vietnam, India, the UK and the US – we’re harnessing the sun’s power with on-site solar panels. In Brazil, we’re leveraging sustainable hydropower. And in facilities around the world, we have started using wind energy guaranteed by Renewable Energy Certificates.

Change requires clear roadmaps. We’re creating a comprehensive renewable energy strategy and exploring Power Purchase Agreements to continue guiding our journey to lower emissions.