Doing the right thing

Here at AG Barr we hate waste. In fact, we’ve no time for it. So much so, it’s becoming our mantra - No Time to Waste. No time to waste on our net zero journey. No time to waste increasing our use of sustainable packaging. And no time to waste reducing our environmental impact.

Read on to find out more about our progress and plans...

Sustainable Development Goals

Our actions can contribute towards global improvements. The United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) provide a shared blueprint for peace and prosperity for people and the planet, now and in the future. They are an urgent call for action by all countries - developed and developing.

We have focused our SDG connections where we believe we can most directly play our part.

Our No Time To Waste programme directly supports the SDG on

CLIMATE ACTION - taking urgent action to combat climate change and its impacts

The road to net zero

We are pleased to report that following our full carbon footprint assessment in 2020, we now have approved near and long-term science-based emissions reduction targets with the Science Based Target initiative (SBTi) and an SBTi verified science-based net-zero target of 2050.

We have accelerated our carbon reduction programme across our Scope 1 and 2 emissions and have a deliverable and realistic decarbonisation roadmap which builds on the progress we have made and pushes further, from electric vehicles and solar panels to air source heat pumps and degasification projects.

For our indirect Scope 3 emissions, including purchased goods and services as well as upstream and downstream transport and distribution, we are working closely with our suppliers and partners.

No time to waste

Going renewable

In 2020 we introduced fossil-free electricity across all our sites - a big step towards our net-zero goal. The ten-year contract supplies us with 22GWh per year from wind farms in the UK - the equivalent electricity used by 6,000 UK homes annually.

No time to waste

Cutting greenhouse gases

We've achieved a 45% reduction in our greenhouse gas emissions since 2015.

No time to waste

Green motoring

Our forklift truck fleet is now fully electric using a combination of lithium-ion technology and conventional battery-powered vehicles.

We've commenced our transition away from fossil fuels with a fleet of Bio-fuelled trucks now on the road.

And aligned to our new Company Car Policy, which will see us transition to a greener fleet for essential car users, we now have electric vehicle charging points installed at all our main sites.

No Time To Waste

Packaging

We believe that packaging should be treated by all as a valuable resource and recycled, not discarded as litter. 100% of our Barr Soft Drinks packaging is already recyclable, with clear on-pack recycling messages, and we continually seek to reduce the amount of packaging we use.

As part of our No Time To Waste environmental sustainability programme, our plastic and packaging workstream has established a clear strategy with a long-term goal of 100% circular packaging. This means a future where packaging is reduced, recycled and reused.

We are also proud to be signatories to The UK Plastics Pact.

IRN BRU 500Ml Radical Final Copy (1) (1) (1)

100% recycled plastic bottles

All of our 500ml IRN-BRU and Rubicon bottles are now made from 100% recycled plastic.

Raising our glass

We've increased the recycled content in our FUNKIN cocktails glass bottles from 14.6% to 42.5%.

Leading the way

We’re one of the first businesses to introduce 100% recyclable packaging film made from 100% recycled content, which is now on all our consumer multipacks. This move alone saves 400 tonnes of virgin plastic a year - that’s the weight of about 250 cars.

New plant-based pack

Our 1 litre cartons now contain plant based plastic reducing each carton's carbon footprint by 21%. The new packs now carry the Carbon Trust logo as a result.

Lightening the load

Packaging keeps our products safe, secure and of optimum quality, but we’re continually striving to find ways to reduce it.

We’ve reduced the weight of shrink wrap used in our factories, removing 75 tonnes of plastic on an annual basis.

We’re also removing over 120,000 cardboard layers at our Milton Keynes and Cumbernauld sites.

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Goodbye plastic straws

We were the first to offer a paper straw, in a paper wrapper, on our small juice packs - all made from quality FSC paper. This action removed 10 million plastic straws from our supply chain.

No Time To Waste

Water and waste

As a multi-beverage business, water is a principal ingredient, as well as a necessary resource we rely upon across our operations. There is increasing awareness of the challenges faced in managing water resources and we are extremely aware of the part we have to play in protecting this precious commodity.

We are also committed to the prevention of pollution and continually seek to understand and minimise the direct and indirect environmental impacts of our operations. We work to avoid, reduce or control the creation and emission of any type of pollutant or waste.

Partnership with Biffa

By partnering with waste management leaders Biffa, we have moved from a position of having 50 different waste providers across our sites to just one. With Biffa’s help our sites now carry out monthly audits of waste and have kicked-off several waste reduction projects.

100% of our non hazardous waste is diverted from landfill

We reached this important milestone in 2020 and it is now our goal to never again send non hazardous waste to landfill.

Water efficiency

In 2021 we undertook detailed analysis of our water footprint at all our production sites. With this data we have developed an evidence-based water strategy with tangible actions in place for each of our sites over a three-year horizon.

As part of our sustainable sourcing strategy we also know that the most significant water use in our value chain is in agriculture. The crops that we rely upon for many of our products, such as mangos, are grown in hot, potentially water-stressed areas, and we are working in partnership with our global suppliers to encourage sustainable practices.

We are pleased to report that our renewed water strategy is already making a difference with year-on-year improvements in our water usage efficiency against our 2020 baseline

Sustainable sourcing

As climate change and a rising population put pressure on our limited natural resources, it is important for all our raw materials to be sourced sustainably and used effectively.

As one of our No Time To Waste workstreams, sustainable sourcing is key to ensuring our high-quality ingredients and materials are sourced and manufactured in a fair, ethical and environmentally responsible way.

Our Supplier Code of Conduct, currently applicable to both Barr Soft Drinks and Funkin, sets out the key supplier principles we work to and the minimum standards we require our suppliers to meet, which form part of their contractual commitments to us. This Code is fundamental to ensuring we work with suppliers who uphold the highest standards with respect to human rights, conditions of employment and who actively reduce their environmental footprint. We ensure our critical suppliers have embedded sustainable and ethical practices in their organisations, and that they are committed to maintaining these principles within their own supply.

Our science-based targets

The Science Based Target Initiative (SBTi) enables companies to demonstrate their leadership on climate action by publicly committing to science-based greenhouse gas (GHG) reduction targets.

Science-based targets provide clearly defined pathways for companies to reduce GHG emissions. Targets are considered science-based if they are in line with what the latest climate science deems necessary to meet the goals of the Paris Agreement.

Targets

Overall Net-Zero

We commit to reach net-zero greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions across the value chain by FY2050 from a FY2020 base year.

Targets

Near-Term

We commit to reduce absolute scope 1 and 2 GHG emissions 60% by FY2030 from a FY2020 base year.

We also commit to reduce absolute scope 3 GHG emissions from purchased goods and services, upstream transport and distribution and downstream transport and distribution 25% within the same timeframe.

Targets

Long-Term Targets

We commit to reduce absolute scope 1 and 2 GHG emissions 90% by FY2035 from a FY2020 base year.

We also commit to reduce scope 3 GHG emissions from purchased goods and services, upstream transport and distribution and downstream transport and distribution 90% by FY2050 from a FY2020 base year.

Note : Our Scope 1 and 2 greenhouse gas emissions have been verified against the ISO 14064-3 standard