Reducing and minimising waste

Reducing waste

Reducing waste plays an important role in our sustainability commitments. We are focusing specifically on reducing waste from our factories and minimising waste sent to landfill.

Reducing waste

Our recent progress

We report our progress to reduce waste each year as part of our annual report. Monitoring and reporting our performance helps to ensure we continue to meet our sustainability commitments.

Reducing food waste

Over the past seven years, we have made steady progress in reducing the amount of food waste in our factories.

While in the FY22 reporting year we saw a small increase, this was partly due to the short-term uplift in effluent loadings following a period of significant investment at both creameries. In the long term, however, these impacts will be negated through overall improvements in productivity and other efficiency initiatives driving continued waste reduction within our factories.

Minimising waste to landfill

Whilst we produce very small amounts of waste to landfill, we monitor the amount carefully. Over the last four years we have made significant progress, but again, in FY22 we saw a small increase as a result of the investment made in new equipment and the need to remove and dispose of the equipment it has replaced.

Downloadable resources

First Milk Annual Report 2021/22

What is anaerobic digestion?

More sections

Regenerative agriculture

We want to do good things as well as producing great food

Climate action

Being part of the climate solution

People and communities

People are at the heart of our business

Sustainable sourcing

Collaborative partnerships are at the heart our business

Water

Reducing water usage and protecting watercourses

Human rights

Protecting human rights

Performance and reporting