Farming News - British farmer produces the first carbon & plastic neutral food product

British farmer produces the first carbon & plastic neutral food product

A Hargrave food oil has made history by becoming the world’s first food product to be certified as both carbon and plastic neutral.

Farrington’s Oils Mellow Yellow Cold Pressed Rapeseed Oil range of oils, salad dressings and mayonnaises have been accredited for their sustainability by the United Nations (UN).

The family-owned company has become the first food producer in the world to achieve both accreditations in the Carbon Neutral Gold Standard and also participate in the United Nations' Climate Neutral Now Initiative pledge.

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Duncan Farrington, managing director of Farrington Oils, said: "We are absolutely delighted. It goes to show that saving the world tastes good. It's healthy oil, healthy soil and a healthy planet.

“This is not just a box ticking exercise for us, the environment is at the heart of everything we do, we have always looked for ways to be more sustainable so it made sense to take the official steps to become certified carbon and plastic neutral straight away.

"We will continue to improve and aim to be carbon negative – removing more carbon from the atmosphere than is produced, through sustainable farming practices where our soils are locking in CO2, planting even more trees and creating more inviting wildlife habitats.”

To gain the gold standard, the company had to list every aspect of the farm's environmental impact including how the staff get to work, the farm's lighting and heating, the fuel for tractors and the lorries used to transport the bottles from the farm to their suppliers. They generate 50 per cent of their electricity with solar panels,

In achieving their carbon neutral status the company has reached government targets 30 years early.

Mr Farrington, a soil expert, will now be working with the UN using his experience gained from his 700 acre farm to work on absorbing carbon - a process called carbon sequestration.

He has calculated that Farrington Oils are absorbing 3,780 tonnes of CO2 into their soils each year - the equivalent to offsetting flying one person around the globe 526 times.

To further reduce the company's environmental impact they have been working hard to reduce their use of plastic in their manufacturing process.

Partnering with rePurpose Global, Farrington Oils now fund the removal of the same amount of plastic waste from the environment as they use in their packaging.

By becoming plastic neutral, Farrington Oils is enabling the removal and recycling of plastic waste that would otherwise go to landfill.

They are hoping to reduce their plastic use by another 30 per cent and even the plastic label on the bottle is designed to be recycled with glass as part of the process.

Mr Farrington added: "We know we can do more and we want to show other farmers, customers and suppliers what we have done. If we can do it we can nudge other people to do it too.

"The future of our planet has never been more important, so we need sustainable farming to be recognised as a valuable way to store carbon in our soils.

“If a small company of 15 people in the sleepy Northamptonshire village of Hargrave can become a global leader in sustainability, I truly believe everyone can make a difference. By working together to change our habits, we can do this."