Wyke Farms is ‘first dairy farm’ to be Carbon Trust triple certified

Cheese producer Wyke Farms has today announced that it has achieved triple certification to the Carbon Trust standard for improving environmental performance in carbon emissions, water use and waste.

It is “the first dairy firm in the UK to hold all three certifications at the same time”.

To achieve the triple certification, Wyke Farms were able to demonstrate reductions in CO₂ emissions, water use and total waste output. A qualitative assessment also looked at the systems put in place under the 100% Green framework, which found that the company’s environmental management processes were sufficiently strong to meet the requirements of the standard.

100% Green is the name given to the company’s long-term sustainability plan, launched in 2013, which focuses on green farming and ecology, water, and carbon emissions.

Adding to Wyke Farm’s self-sufficient status in green energy, the Carbon Trust award would allow the company further differentiation within the cheese category, according to managing director Rich Clothier.

Clothier said: “To achieve the Carbon Trust triple standard is fantastic recognition for the hard work put in by the team at Wyke and provides further endorsement that we are working across a number of areas to make our business provide a net positive impact. I believe that it should be the ambition of all businesses that the natural world and society should be better off with industry than without it”.

Darran Messem, managing director of certification for the Carbon Trust, said: “Wyke Farms has been at the forefront of sustainability in farming and dairy for many years. Becoming the first UK dairy company to achieve the Carbon Trust Standards for carbon, water and waste underlines the company’s commitment to the environment. The challenges of the dairy industry have been widely publicised in recent years, but Wyke Farms’ has demonstrated how business performance and environmental management can be combined to create a more sustainable business model.”