As leading cider producers gathered in Herefordshire, it was revealed that members would undertake the comprehensive BITC analysis of their business operations, The Responsible Business Checker, reaffirming their commitment to be the ‘greenest’ industry in the UK.
As key players in the UK’s rural economy, members of the National Association of Cider Makers are determined to enhance the areas and environment in which they operate.
The Responsible Business Check-Up supports this aim and provides the means to develop a strategic approach to improving social and environmental performance.
Already one of the UK’s most sustainable industries, UK cider has already reported progress. It recorded a 12% reduction in CO2 from 2000 to 2008 and has the stated aim to be carbon neutral and produce zero waste a decade from now.
Nearly half of all of the apples grown in the UK are used by the industry, and in the last decade more than 8,000 acres of new orchards (more than four million trees) have been planted following investment by some of the larger cider producers.
Recognising that cider apple orchards are already a beneficial use of agricultural land, the NACM is determined to develop strategies to enhance the positive impact of the industry.
Henry Chevallier, chair of the NACM, said: “Enhancing the benefits from what we do and minimising the impact is a priority, for individual cider producers and for the industry as a whole. We believe that putting ourselves through this rigorous exercise will better inform how we make this happen.”
Source: NACM
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