SUSTAINABILITY

POWER GENERATION . . . ENERGY USE . . . PRODUCT DESIGN . . . WASTE MINIMISATION . . . RECYCLING . . . TRANSPORT . . . COMMUNITY & NATURE

POWER generation

CIRCULAR ECONOMY

The circular economy is a model of production and consumption, which involves sharing, leasing, reusing, repairing, refurbishing and recycling existing materials and products as long as possible. In this way, the life cycle of products is extended.

source: European Parliament

Fosters Bakery have embraced many aspects of this philosophy since its foundation in 1952.

Combined heat & power

Mains Electricity = 46% efficient
CHP Electricity up to 90% efficient

In the UK national grid, only 46% of the energy needed to make electricity makes it to customers.*

Most energy in the fuel is lost in the power station process and transporting the electricity over long distances.

We generate our own electricity on a COMBINED HEAT & POWER PLANT (CHP)
We use the “waste” heat for hot water, space heating and to power our huge bread provers. This is far more energy efficient.

*[SOURCE: Association for Decentralised Energy]

SOLAR PANELS on the bakery roof provide up to 60% of our daytime electricity.

  • Combined Heat & Power Plant (CHP) provides 100% of night time electricity, and the all other electricity not from Solar.

  • 100% of hot water & all electricity not from solar panels.

  • CHP waste heat runs our office and bakery heating

  • Low energy EVAPOURATIVE COOLING throughout the bakery for air conditioning in the summer using water.

  • Excess electricity generated is fed into the national grid. (Power generated locally to where it’s used is more efficient than transmission over vast distances)

PRODUCT DESIGN

  • Case and pallet quantities to minimise transport

  • Minimal cardboard packaging - recyclable

  • Pallet wrap - designed to reduce the film

  • Lighter gauge wrapping film & bags

  • Product information printed on cases to eliminate labels

WASTE MINIMISATION & RECYCLING

WE RECYCLE

  • Bread mishapes and rejects sold for animal feed

  • Vegetable Oil

  • Paper and cardboard

  • Rigid Plastics

  • Flexible Plastic

  • Metals - including worn our bakeware & machine parts

  • Printer ink cartridges

  • Electrical equipment including light fittings, computers etc.

  • Wooden Pallets and crates

  • We store larger quantities to minimise transport

WE MINIMISE

  • Reusable tubs eliminate single use plastic in our baking operations

  • Lighter weight bakeware

  • LED lighting

  • Automatic lighting

  • Heating from CHP reclaimed heat

  • Hot water from reclaimed heat

  • Provers powered by reclaimed heat

  • Our engineers mend things before replace

  • Redundant equipment robbed for spares rather then buying new

  • We buy reconditioned computers where appropriate

TRANSPORT

  • 100% of our car fleet are either ELECTRIC VEHICLES (2 EVs) or PLUG IN HYBRID VEHICLES (4 PHEVs)

  • On site we have 3 EV CHARGING POINTS, which we have had for over 15 years

  • 1 x EV COMMERCIAL VAN

  • To minimise transport we operate a MIXED SIZE FLEET of Large Goods Vehicles. Big trucks, but no need to send a truck that’s too big.
    1 x 3.5 tonne, 2 x 7.5 tonne, 1 x 18 tonne and 2 x full articulated lorries.

  • Our transport partners bring GROUPED LOADS from other suppliers and back hauling to minimise vehicles running empty.

COMMUNITY & NATURE

  • Most workers live LOCALLY and walk to work

  • We operate a CYCLE TO WORK SCHEME to provide cycles for our bakers

  • We support workers VOLUNTEERING in the community
    Our people are: Youth leaders, Blood bikers, Church leaders, helpers in youth sports.

  • Bakery site has several bird boxes and bat boxes made from our broken pallets.