Greene King has hosted a pioneering supplier conference to launch a new platform to boost engagement with suppliers on all aspects of environmental, social and governance and build collaboration and innovation in the wider sector to reach net zero.
Called Greene King Engage, the industry-leading platform was launched at the inaugural Greene King For Good conference in Birmingham on Wednesday, 4 October.
The platform will allow Greene King to share knowledge, training materials, business requirements and policies with suppliers on all aspects of environment, social and governance. Additionally, suppliers will also share information, targets and initiatives to help realise shared benefits to enable more sustainable supply chains.
The move is the start of a shifting mindset in the industry from insularity to deeper collaboration on areas that provide a greater benefit for society and the environment, making it easier for businesses to invest with confidence in the future.
At the conference, visited by over 200 supplier partners of Greene King, attendees heard about the benefits of working together and signing up for the supplier platform, and how creating shared value would open up new business opportunities throughout the supply chain.
Greene King’s chief sustainability officer, Assad Malic spoke to conference delegates. Afterwards, he said:
“Rather than only looking inwards, it is incumbent on all of us to think bigger and help our vibrant industry grow and thrive in the face of a changing world. To reduce our environmental footprint, it’s vital we work together in an open and transparent manner to create circularity in our supply chain, look at how we can reduce waste and reduce our emissions through a fair and ethical value chain.
“We all know there is a huge amount of work ahead to reach net zero and we understand we cannot reduce our impact on the environment alone. The development of this platform, enabling us to work with our suppliers, sharing policies and information, really is a significant step towards this goal. We look forward to welcoming suppliers on board and tackling the challenges ahead together, armed with accreditable information.”
Also taking part in the event to support knowledge building were organisations including the Zero Carbon Forum, WRAP, Slave Free Alliance and The Supply Pilot.
A key tool for future collaboration will be the new Greene King Engage platform, operated by Supply Pilot. It is going live in two phases, with food and drink suppliers having access immediately. Greene King is planning to add all other suppliers by the summer of 2024.
The platform will comprise an initial Kickstart Assessment, which is a survey requesting information about a supplier’s targets and practices. This in turn will help Greene King to better understand its suppliers’ capabilities, activities and awareness around carbon emissions and other environment, social and governance matters, including carbon reduction targets, human rights, responsible sourcing, waste and packaging and biodiversity.
The conference and launch of Greene King Engage supports the strategic roadmap aligned to Greene King’s science-based target to halve greenhouse gas emissions by 2030.
ENDS
About Greene King:
Greene King is the country’s leading pub company and brewer with c.2,600 pubs, restaurants and hotels across England, Wales and Scotland.
At Greene King we are passionate about delivering our purpose to ‘pour happiness into lives’. That’s for our customers, our team, our pub partners, our suppliers and the communities in which we live, operate and serve. Founded in 1799 with offices in Bury St. Edmunds, Suffolk and Burton on Trent in Staffordshire we employ around 39,000 people across the group with four divisions: Greene King pubs, Destination Brands, Partnership and Ventures, and Brewing & Brands.
- Greene King pubs are located where people and communities come together; pubs enjoyed in cities, towns and villages throughout the country
- Destination Brands is a mixture of food and drink-led brands including Hungry Horse, Farmhouse Inns, Chef & Brewer, Wacky Warehouse, and Pub & Carvery, Pub & Dining and Pub & Grill
- Partnerships & Ventures includes Pub Partners, which runs our tenanted and leased pubs business and Hive Franchise pubs, and our Ventures Brands which is made up of Metropolitan Pub Company, Hickory’s, Hotels Group and Crafted Pubs
Brewing & Brands covers the brewing sides of the business. Quality ales are brewed at the Westgate brewery in Bury St Edmunds and the Belhaven Brewery in Dunbar. Our industry-leading portfolio includes Greene King IPA, Old Speckled Hen, Abbot Ale, Ice Breaker and Belhaven Best and our premium beers, Level Head and Flint Eye, brewed for the modern-day drinker.
Contact: Greene King Press Office, PressOffice@greeneking.co.uk
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