Origin Green announces Gold Members for 2020
Origin Green, Ireland’s food and drink sustainability programme, remains the only sustainability programme in the world. It is centred on measurable difference, with independent verification at its core, operating across the entire food supply chain and on a national scale.
The programme continues to evolve to ensure that members are keeping up to date with the key sustainability issues that matter to customers. In November, Origin Green recognised 26 Irish food and drink companies who attained a new higher level of membership for the programme, called Gold Membership. This month, we speak to
Deirdre Ryan, Director of Origin Green & Sustainable Assurance, to find out more about this new level of membership, and what it means for sustainability in our food and drink sector.
What does Origin Green Gold Membership mean?
The world continues to change at pace and impacts on the food sector are evolving. Questions about the sustainability of our food supply chains and living responsibly are to the fore in our customers’ and consumers’ minds. Origin Green is committed to the long-term development of sustainable practices among all of our members. While some may have further to go than others, it’s crucial that we enable our members to take their first steps on their sustainability journey and contribute to the significant scale and scope of the Origin Green programme.
In the past, all Origin Green companies were given the designation of being a ‘verified member’. Companies are now eligible for Gold Membership where they have demonstrated an overall exceptional performance against their sustainability targets within a given year.
The 26 companies designated as Gold Members for 2020 demonstrated exemplary performance across their sustainability targets in areas such as raw material sourcing, water efficiency, waste reduction, packaging, and social sustainability.
How is this new level of Origin Green membership determined?
There is a five-tier system of membership for the programme based on company size and turnover, which ensures that all Origin Green members have a realistic and fair chance of obtaining Gold Membership. A company becomes a Gold Member when they are awarded a number of credits that meet or surpass a fixed threshold in a given year, determined by the tier they are in. These credits are awarded by Mabbett, our independent verification company, to companies that are making significant strides in their sustainability efforts based on the targets they have set in their Origin Green sustainability plan.
What value does Gold Membership offer the accredited companies?
Gold Membership provides companies with three main exclusive benefits:
● Opportunity for differentiation through a new Gold Member identity and materials such as a Gold Member plaque and certificate
● Opportunity for increased profiling on our website and across our media activity
● Gateways to networking and collaboration at Bord Bia hosted conferences and thought leadership events.
Where can we find out more about the Gold Member companies?
Case studies for each of the 26 Gold Members highlighting some of the ambitious and diverse targets that were set and achieved are available on our website origingreen.ie.