Sustainability

Here at Castle Dairies we are committed to working towards a sustainable future.

 

Learn more about our areas of sustainability below:

Our suppliers

Water management

Waste reduction

Commitment to plastic reduction and packaging

Our work with the community

 

 

Our suppliers

  • At Castle Dairies, we use a UK supply base of ingredient suppliers to reduce our food miles and support local Welsh produce.
  • We currently work with over 200 farms across Wales – supporting local and again, less food miles!
  • With nearly half of the food consumed in the UK being imported, it’s never been more important to support UK dairies and agriculture.
  • As of 2020, we switched to using a 100% British grown and processed (pressed only) rapeseed oil made with sustainable energy production, in all of our branded and retail own-label spreadable butters. The rapeseed oil is sourced entirely from UK-grown rapeseed crop and is GMO and Hexane free.
  • We ensure that all of our raw materials come from Red Tractor Assured Farms in the UK. This scheme ensures that food and drink is responsibly sourced from British agriculture and also ensures 100% traceability throughout the food chain and also ensures that food is traceable, safe and farmed with care.

 

 

Water

  • Throughout our business we use water as an ingredient, to run heating and cooling systems and to clean down equipment. Therefore, it’s important that we ensure the water we have used is cleaned and recycled to help our environment.
  • To achieve this, we have implemented a wastewater treatment system called DAF, which is a wastewater clarification process that removes residues in wastewater, such as solids, greases and oils. These solids are captured and prevented from going down the drain.
  • The system comprises flow balancing, flocculation and dissolved air flotation (DAF) for solids separation which allows us to achieve a consistently cleaner discharge, ensuring an environmentally sustainable food production method.

 

 

Waste reduction

  • We have been working hard to reduce our overall process waste over the next 5 years. As of March 2023, 100% of our waste  from the butter making process (buttermilk and excess residue) is sent to anaerobic digestion.  Anaerobic digestion is a naturally occurring process where, in the absence of oxygen, bacteria breaks down organic materials and produces biogas. Anaerobic digestion systems capture the biogas which enables it to be used in a beneficial way e.g. an energy source. This is important as it reduces greenhouse gas emissions, which would contribute to climate change if it was lost to the atmosphere.

 

 

Commitment to plastic reduction and packaging

  • One of our top priorities is reforming our current packaging. A plastic-free future is what we aim for and we continue to trial alternative packaging and innovative materials as an ongoing priority. Our spreadable tubs are fully recyclable, with their plastic content to be reduced by 20% in weight by the end of 2023. We are committed to reducing our plastic waste by 25% by the end of 2024.
  • We are continuously researching, trialling and testing more environmentally friendly materials that are viable for packaging our block butters, as our foil wrappers are not currently recyclable.
  • Our cardboard outer boxes are FSC Certified, sustainably sourced, 100% biodegradable and are made from recycled materials. We also recycle cardboard packaging across our all of our operations.
  • We are aiming to ensure that all of our packaging is fully recyclable by 2025.

 

We also look after our community

  • We currently support local charity Velindre Cancer Centre, which was chosen by the Castle Dairies team. In 2019 and 2022, we were the main sponsors of the Velindre Castle2Castle annual charity run, which together helped to raise over £70,000.
  • We are current kit sponsors of local junior rugby team Whitehead Steelers JRFC Under 14’s.
  • We currently donate to Community Foundation Wales; a social and community-based welfare charity which supports local communities and charities where government funding falls short. These donations form part of a grant in which local high-school students from disadvantaged areas in Wales, wishing to attend university, can apply to help cover university fees, equipment and trips.
  • We also aim to develop relationships with external charities supporting local communities and the environment, where government funding falls short.

 

 

 

The Environmental & Economic Benefits of Anaerobic Digestion | MV Technologies (mvseer.com)