A carbon conscious food provider has hit a significant milestone on its journey to producing the UK’s first net zero carbon ready meal, as it’s set for carbon neutrality – with offsetting trees about to be planted. Thanks to a partnership with a carbon tracking app, the Wild Hare Group is on the cusp of claiming carbon neutral status – with the latest carbon tracking data report indicating the level of carbon it needs to offset and the steps required to do so.
Using the technology of Reewild, which details carbon output throughout production, from farm to fork, the brand was able to determine exactly where its carbon emissions lay – and offset them accordingly.
To establish what needed to be done, the Wild Hare Group worked with Reewild to conduct a cradle to grave Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) for each product it produces. Each ingredient has been calculated by weight and place of origin, while product packaging is also included in the Co2 store. Having taken procurement data since the company came into formation, it has accurately accounted for its carbon footprint – before adding an additional 20% for any possible emissions overage.
Using the Greenhouse Gas Equivalents Calculator, Wild Hare has calculated it needs to plant 100 trees to offset its Co2 footprint to date, and has partnered with a Cotswold reforestation project to do – serving to not only balance the carbon books but also provide an array of environmental benefits to the local area.
As growth scales, the brand will be planting an average of six trees for every 2,000 units sold to maintain carbon neutrality. All of this information will be displayed in the Reewild app, with everything fully traceable for customers to access and track.
Dominie Fearn, founder of the Wild Hare Group commenting, said: “Carbon neutrality is a huge milestone for Wild Hare and it’s something that underlines our dedication to sustainability, while effectively being a by product of our main goal – that of achieving genuine net zero. We work with some incredible regenerative farmers who share our passion for the environment, and it’s in large part thanks to them that carbon neutrality is an attainable aim at this stage. While reaching net zero is a much larger task, we’re very much on the right path and are more than up to the challenge.”
“A hundred trees may sound like a fairly low number but that’s because we’ve already embraced low carbon processes. Carbon calculators suggest a one way flight from London to New York requires three trees per passenger to offset the emissions, for instance, so our target to date was considerably lower than offsetting a single transatlantic flight! For other firms though, achieving carbon neutrality would require a much more significant undertaking – but that’s something we firmly believe is worth doing.
“There is something enormously rewarding about actively planting a tree, and the concept that the work we do will help protect the planet for future generations is what motivates us to keep on producing food sustainably. Carbon neutrality is a momentous step in our long-term carbon reduction plan and after a brief period of well-earned celebration, we will continue our commitment to decarbonising the supply chain and supporting British farms.”
The Wild Hare ready meals are cooked fresh every week by professional chefs, allowing for optimum nutrient uptake and easy digestion. The meat used in its products are outdoor reared on grass, with the poultry coming from high welfare farms, which ensures all products coming from British farmers share the same sustainable objectives as Wild Hare.
With the upcoming COP-26 summit set to discuss a wide range of climatic issues in the food industry and the target of carbon neutrality will soon enter the business model of many more food producers. The Wild Hare Group has demonstrated that by meticulously tracking supply chains and supporting high welfare British farms, this can be achieved in a reasonably short period of time.
Dominie added: “I am very optimistic about the upcoming climate summit. There has never been a more important time for collective action in the food industry and I hope the event will encourage an era of ‘doing’ not just ‘promising’. We are running out of time in the battle against climate change and a holistic approach is the only way significant progress will be achieved .”