English
Español
Ελληνικά
Polski
Sustainability at the Heart of the business development
Sustainability has long been at the heart of Glenisk and everything we value. We were one of the first members of Origin Green – Ireland’s food and drink sustainability programme. We believe in producing premium quality food using organic and locally sourced ingredients while protecting the environment for generations to come.
They have actively sought to reduce packaging and have participated in a tree-planting programme in Africa. Their use of renewable energy and they are working to become Carbon neutral.
Holistic/Sustainable Business Strategy Development. They started out wanting to produce Organic quality yogurt but their goal to be a better and more sustainable business has come through every part of their business resulting in what they call their 10 commitments which all have ESG at the core
10 commitments -As we evolve, there are some things that never change – principles so fundamental, they are non-negotiable at Glenisk.
Taste Life is short; nature is bountiful. It’s got to be delicious. They have quality ingredients sourced ethically.
Organic No artificial fertilisers or synthetic pesticides. It’s got to be organic.
Nutrition Less sugar, more protein and cultures for gut health. It’s got to be balanced.
Packaging Always recyclable and from 100% renewable sources. It’s got to be climate-neutral.
Quality Care and attention with every pot, every time. It’s got to be perfect.
Community Offaly roots and rooting for communities across Ireland. It’s got to be local.
People Our colleagues are the best and the brightest. It’s got to be rewarding.
Climate Part of our every decision we make, the planet is paramount. It’s got be now.
Farms Protecting animal welfare and biodiversity, our farmers are custodians of the land. It’s got to be ethical.
Family Family-owned and run; now and for the generations to come. Meet the Clearys.
They use 90% of all the organic milk in Ireland to produce their yogurt. They keep 50 Organic farmers under contract to supply milk.
After a fire in late 2021, they build a more labour-intensive “Plan B” factory with the design of Plan A, a new carbon-neutral manufacturing facility which will set Glenisk up for the future.
Glenisk has retained its workforce since the fire. No staff were laid off, and all staff have been paid throughout the period. Many staff were redeployed temporarily into new roles to help get the Plan B facility up and running.
They are the number one branded Organic Yogurt and Milk Brand in Ireland with exports to the UK.
Founding members of Origin Green the food and Drink sustainability programme in Ireland. Certified Organic company. certified by Climate Partner. We are audited extensively by independent organisations including the Department of Agriculture, the Irish Organic Association, the British Retail Consortium and all of the supermarkets we supply.
Challenges:
Sourcing organic products. Solution is building relationship with producers and giving them a defined amount to purchase.
Packaging: A major fire at our manufacturing facility in September 2021. As the building smouldered and the extent of the catastrophe unfolded, one of the earliest vows we made was that when Glenisk yogurt returned, it would not be making a comeback in plastic pots.
Our journey to carbon-neutral packaging had started some years prior. We had slowly been transitioning – first our milk cartons, then our Bio big pots to certified carbon-neutral. For years, we had been asking our packaging suppliers to come up with more sustainable solutions. We looked at every conceivable way to remove plastic altogether – eliminating the screw cap on milk cartons, switching yogurt pots to paper. We also looked at how to reduce or improve it where it was essential. Thus, the fine layer of PE on the inner lining of our pots that keeps it food-safe and leak-proof is sourced from tree resin from sustainable forests, rather than from fossil-fuels.
To ensure we measure and improve, we are certified by Climate Partner.
Fire: New factory will be Carbon Neutral.