The Lamb Weston/Meijer (LW/M) sustainability report for 2015-2016, published on January 17, concludes that the Kruiningen, Holland-headquartered value-added potato products manufacturer is well on the way to achieving sustainability objectives for 2020.
Over the last two years the company has invested significantly to support sustainability ambitions. Compared to 2008, energy consumption per ton of product has been cut by more than 21% and potato utilization has improved by 4.5%. Increasing transport by water and rail has reduced road transport by more than 6 million kilometers per year. Furthermore, Lamb Weston/Meijer pre-fries more than 82% of its products in healthier frying oil. On an annual basis this amounts to a reduction of 9.6 million kilos of saturated fat.
The company’s “Sustainable Six” strategy goes beyond corporate social responsibility. It focuses on six areas: Water; Energy & Emissions; Potato & Waste; Employees; Food Safety & Quality; Nutrition & Health.
In 2015, LW/M opened a state-of-the-art receiving area at its flagship factory in Kruiningen. This has led to better potato utilization and improved product quality. In November of 2016, a new production line equipped with the latest energy-efficiency technology was opened at the Bergen op Zoom plant in the south of Holland. It features innovations in cutting, optical grading, frying and freezing.
The company is also focusing heavily on a circular economy. By finding the most useful destinations for all by-products and processing waste flows, it achieves environmental gains and more efficient production. Since 2008 Lamb Weston/Meijer has been sending zero waste to landfills, and last year only 0.2% (mixed waste) was incinerated.
Respect for Mother Nature
CEO Bas Alblas“There’s a limit to what you can ask Mother Nature to give you. Yet, if you treat her well she will respond in kind. It’s a symbiotic relationship in which both parties need to benefit. This standpoint is fundamental to our sustainability program and strategy,” said CEO Bas Alblas. “We believe in give and take – in the micro and the macro, in the company and society.”
Meanwhile, priorities for the coming two years include reducing direct water consumption and further improvement of the nutritional value of potato products by reducing salt and fat content. The reduction of food waste remains a priority on the agenda. And there will be even more focus on making the entire value chain more sustainable, from fork to field.
The report complies with the GRI (Global Reporting Initiative) guidelines at G4 Core level, while the chapters on three of the Sustainable Six themes – Water, Energy & Emissions and Potato & Waste – have been reported at G4 Comprehensive level. The full English language document and a summary in eight other languages may be accessed online at www.lambweston.eu/sustainability. The next report will be published in 2019.
About the Company
Lamb Weston potato and snack products are sold in over 100 countries around the world. Lamb Weston/Meijer supplies customers in Europe, the Middle East, Africa (EMEA) and beyond with products including Potato Dippers, Twisters and Connoisseur Fries, as well as dehydrated potato flakes. Operating three factories in Holland, one in the United Kingdom and one in Austria, the company employs 1,200 people in the EMEA region.
