Bakkavor : publishes its 2023 ESG Report

On Earth Day, Bakkavor Group Plc ("Bakkavor") published its 2023 dedicated Environment, Social and Governance ("ESG") report, summarising the activities and progress made by the company under its 'Trusted Partner' ESG strategy.

In the last year, we have accelerated activity to progress our ESG strategic priorities - food waste, climate and Net Zero, and environmentally sustainable sourcing. Particular highlights include:

• 20.7% reduction in food waste during 2023, totalling a 39.0% reduction since 2017 - supporting our target to half food waste by 2030.
• A further decrease in Group carbon emissions - down 23.3% since 2021 and submitting Net Zero-aligned targets to the Science Based Targets initiative.
• Exceeding our plastic packaging reduction targets - removing 1,905 tonnes in the year - equivalent to an 8.0% reduction. A total of 160 million pieces of plastic packaging have been removed in the last two years.

Beyond our own operations, we have continued our responsible sourcing strategy through engaging with our diverse supply base, conducting a refreshed assessment of our UK suppliers against our Code of Conduct and initiating an independent verification programme.

In addition, we continued to progress our objective of providing a safe and inclusive environment for our 18,000+ colleagues, focusing on a theme of 'balance is better' in our inclusion and diversity strategy, growing our wellbeing programme with dedicated Champions and signing up to the 'Mental Health at Work Commitment'.

To further embed our Trusted Partner strategy across the business, we have introduced both food waste and carbon emission targets as elements within the company's bonus metrics.

Caroline Carson, Head of Group ESG Strategy, comments:

"2023 required us to develop a decisive and dynamic plan to successfully manage another year of external challenges. As Bakkavor's business strengthened, so too did our ESG performance.

I am really pleased with the positive progress we have made, with all of our non-financial KPIs - carbon emissions, UK food waste, UK health & safety and UK turnover - showing improvement.To have decoupled revenue growth from emissions and waste is particularly encouraging for the future.

Despite the very positive progress, there is still much to be done. With our updated climate targets under verification by the Science Based Targets initiative, we will soon have another focal point guiding our operational and scope 3 decarbonisation journey.

We are committed to growing the business in a sustainable way and I'm confident we are building a strong platform to deliver further meaningful progress."

For more information email: [e-mail]

About Bakkavor

We are the leading provider of fresh prepared food in the UK, and our presence in the US and China positions the Group well in these high-growth markets. We leverage our consumer insight and scale to provide innovative food that offers quality, choice, convenience, and freshness. Around 18,000 colleagues operate from 44 sites across our three markets supplying a portfolio of over 3,000 products across meals, pizza & bread, salads and desserts to leading grocery retailers in the UK and US, and international food brands in China.

Find out more at www.bakkavor.com.