Published by Farmers Guide, July 2008

Steve Robinson is the General Manager at
Branston's Lincolnshire packing operation.

Potato packer can prove its green credentials

FARMERS are not alone in having to meet ever-tighter operating standards to satisfy the organisations they supply. While farm assurance schemes have set out how crops and livestock should be produced on farms, there is another set of standards that food processors have to meet to be able to sell produce to their customers.
While some of these have their origins in legislation, others can currently be considered 'nice to have', although they will almost certainly play an important part in how large food retailers choose their suppliers in the future.
A prime example of the standards that forward-thinking businesses consider important for their future success is ISO 14001, which specifies the requirements for an environmental management system. It applies to all environmental aspects over which a company has control and on which it can be expected to have an influence.
Branston Ltd, the UK's leading supplier of potatoes, has recently been awarded ISO 14001 for its site just south of Lincoln.
"We have been proactive on this one," General Manager Steve Robinson told Farmers Guide. "At the moment all food processors operate to the same standards, but it looks likely that the supermarket buyers will start to look for something more from their suppliers.
"With a large proportion of our output going to Tesco, we felt it was important to go for accreditation as we think they will demand ISO 14001 in the future."
The award of ISO 14001 earlier this year was the culmination of two years' hard work to put environmental systems and processes in place throughout Branston's Lincolnshire site.
"There were three audits, including a final four-day audit, to check our environmental management plan was up to scratch," Mr Robinson said. "There has also been a programme of staff training to ensure that everyone knows what ISO 14001 is all about and what they have to do to meet its requirements."
Branston is the second of the company's three sites to gain the accreditation. The first, in Perth, achieved ISO 14001 in 2003, although under previous owner West Cumberland Farmers. Nevertheless, it meant there was pre-existing experience within the company of what the process was all about.
The changes that Branston Ltd has made at the Lincoln site are astounding, particularly in regard to the amount of waste it produces.
"We used to have a skip that everything went into, but now we have almost no general waste," Mr Robinson said. "The saving on waste handling is about £40,000 alone, but we can add to that the revenue that is now generated by some of our waste streams."
The Branston site handles a good bit more than 150,000t of potatoes annually, with first class tubers being packed for retail and restaurants and second-class going to processors to be made into potato products. About 10% of the throughput ends up as stock feed and is sold for between £5-20/t.
As Branston only washes the potatoes before packing them, there is no organic waste, but about 2,200t of soil is recovered every year from the wash water.
"We run our own effluent plant that separates the water and soil," Mr Robinson said. "The soil used to go to landfill, but now we have come to an arrangement with a local supplier to return the soil to his land.
"There is a lot of goodness in the soil that comes out of our plant and we have been able to get Environment Agency consent to spread it on designated fields where it will contribute to the soil structure.
"About eight trailer loads leave here every week and the land is audited so that we know exactly where the soil is being spread. All the fields are within a three-mile radius, so transport is kept to a minimum."
As a packing operation, the Branston site used to produce about 35t of cardboard and plastic waste each year, all of which cost money to remove.
"We have installed a baler in the pack house and all the waste is separated and baled," Mr Robinson said. "And rather than paying to have it taken away, we now get paid for it."
Steps have also been taken to reduce the amount of waste created in the first place. With up to nine packing lines in use, staff have been trained not to waste packaging materials while setting up the lines. A maximum of five empty bags are allowed to pass through the line before filling starts, and the bag sealing equipment must be up to its working temperature before packing starts to prevent poorly sealed bags that have to be discarded.
Waste segregation now applies across the whole site, from waste paper in the offices to aluminium cans in the canteen. Even scrap metal from the engineering department is collected and sold to a dealer.
Nothing that could be done to save energy has been missed. Movement-sensing bulbs have been used where practicable and signs reminding people to switch lights off when not required have also been put up. A system has also been put in place to ensure that all lights and machinery are turned off when the packhouse stops work.
New processes have also been put in place for saving water. Leaks are not tolerated and the staff has been urged to report them as soon as possible. The site engineers have also been instructed to prioritise water leaks above any other reported repairs. The same goes for the site's compressed air system, which must also be totally shut down at night.
All Branston's water is currently taken from the mains, but this may change as the installation of a borehole is being investigated.
One of the most expensive parts of the accreditation process for ISO 14001 was the creation of a drainage map. All the drains on the site had to be identified so that should there be a spillage, it can be isolated before causing any environmental damage.
Preventing spillages in the first place is another part of the environmental audit. As Branston runs a sizeable haulage fleet, the changes made included replacing the diesel storage facility with a new plastic bunded tank and introducing bunds for oil storage. Spill kits have also been put in place to clean up any minor spillages.
Branston has appointed Steve Bryan as Environmental Manager for the site and it is his role to maintain the systems and processes central to the ISO 14001 accreditation. If someone wants to change how something is done on the site, Mr Bryan must be consulted to examine the environmental impact, if any, it will have.
Gaining the accreditation is only the first part of the process. To keep it companies have to continually find new ways to save energy and reduce environmental impact. Six monthly surveillance visits will ensure that the ISO 14001 certificate still has a place on the Branston wall.
Just six months after accreditation, Branston is already seeing the benefits of the process it has been through.
"I think it will take about two years to measure the full effects of accreditation, but with the cost of utilities rising almost daily, we need to save as much as we can," Mr Robinson said. "Branston is a healthy, growing company and we see ISO 14001 as more than just a green indulgence.
"We want to demonstrate to our customers and the local community that we are being environmentally responsible. We want to reduce our impact on our surroundings, be good neighbours and demonstrate to our staff, customers and consumers that we are good corporate citizens."