Bakkavor : commitment to Net Zero across Group operations by 2040

Now more than ever, the world can see the interconnectedness of social, environmental and economic systems. Climate change is a major issue facing our company, the entire food system and wider society and today, Earth Day, is an important day in raising global awareness of climate change and global warming.

At Bakkavor, we're committed to the Net Zero carbon agenda and have set our own target for Net Zero emissions across our operations - UK, USA and China - by 2040. Whilst this won't be easy to achieve, for us this makes business sense as well as being a question of responsibility.

As a manufacturing company, our biggest impact on the climate comes from the energy used in our sites. Keeping food safe by ensuring correct temperatures, as well as powering machinery, ovens and lighting all use a lot of electricity and gas, which in turn impacts our carbon footprint. Using energy efficiently is a measure of operational resilience and throughout 2021 we will focus on further identifying our roadmap to achieving Net Zero.

We're also committed to understanding our broader climate risk and have been working with more than 500 suppliers to conduct an environmental risk assessment of our supply chain.

Agust Gudmundsson, CEO of Bakkavor Group plc, commented: 'Earth Day is an important day in inspiring us to help protect the environment, as corporates, but also as individuals. I fully support business efforts in supporting an ambitious climate change agenda, both in the run up to COP26 and beyond. I also look forward to working collaboratively with our customers, suppliers and partners to demonstrate that Net Zero must be at the heart of a resilient future.'

For more information or to request interviews contact:

Guy Bellamy / Jim Follett

elephant communications

[e-mail]

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07766 775216 / 07908 551571

Notes to editor

About Bakkavor

Bakkavor is the leading provider of fresh prepared food ('FPF') in the UK, with a growing international presence in the US and China. The Group is the number one by market share in the UK in the four FPF product categories of meals, salads, desserts and pizza & bread, providing high-quality, fresh, healthy and convenient food. Its customers include some of the UK's leading grocery retailers, including Tesco, Marks & Spencer, Sainsbury's and Waitrose. The Group's International segment operates in the US and China. As these FPF markets continue to grow, Bakkavor seeks to leverage its UK expertise in order to build its presence in these territories. Bakkavor was founded in 1986 and has its headquarters in London. The Group has over 19,000 employees and operates 23 factories in the UK, 5 in the US and 9 in China.