SCOTTISH Sea Farms has been recognised at the Marks and Spencer Select Farm Awards 2019 with an Innovation Award for the company’s work in reducing plastic packaging.
As the exclusive supplier of Marks and Spencer salmon, Scottish Sea Farms has been working alongside the retailer to reduce the use of expanded polystyrene packaging during shipping processes, and have instead replaced them with returnable bulk bins.
A study commissioned by Scottish Sea Farms and undertaken by the Caledonian Environment Centre at Glasgow Caledonian University found that introducing the bulk bins would not only reduce the amount of plastic used, but also reduce the amount of carbon used through less production and processing.
The bulk bins were first introduced in 2017, and Scottish Sea Farms say that 780,000 expanded polystyrene boxes have been replaced, saving an estimated 4,100 tonnes of CO2.
Scottish Sea Farms’ processing manager, Donald Buchanan said, “Ensuring that we’re operating in the most ethical and environmentally responsible way is a key objective both for Scottish Sea Farms and for M&S with its industry-leading Plan A.
“This latest collaboration takes us another step forward in our drive to reduce the use of plastics in our activities and has been made possible thanks to the support and cooperation of the entire supply chain.”
Steve McLean, head of agriculture and fisheries at M&S said, “We are committed to producing food as sustainably as possible, so it is heartening to hear about a project like the one launched by Scottish Sea Farms to move away from EPS packaging and reduce their carbon footprint.
“The business has remained committed to their initial idea over several years and invested significantly into the project. All of this hard work has now paid off and they have successfully established a new way to transport harvested fish in a far more environmentally-friendly way.”
