SUSTAINABILITY POLICY

SØDT is committed to having the lightest environmental footprint possible. Our aim is to continually improve and reach positive impact.

INGREDIENTS
We source our ingredients as locally as possible from environmentally responsible suppliers.

OUR PACKAGING
Other than twist ties all our bread packaging is made in the UK. All bags are recyclable. Paper bands are recyclable, compostable and biodegradable.

The film fronted bags we use for pastries are also made in the UK. These are not recyclable because the paper is siliconised to make it greaseproof. Recyclable bags absorb butter which makes them un-recyclable so in reality there is no environmental advantage. The benefit of greaseproof bags is that they keep products fresher for longer. When pastries do not need to be labelled, for example for hotels, restaurants, cafés and events, they are delivered in returnable airtight boxes.

The baskets we use to deliver bread are also returnable.

We use reusable labels for pastry boxes and bread baskets.

WASTE MANAGEMENT
Most of our waste is packaging from ingredients which we separate so as much as possible can be recycled.

Pallets are returned to their original or alternative distribution chains and we reuse flour sacks as rubbish bags

We have a small amount of raw food waste which is taken to a specialised facility for either anaerobic digestion or composting. It is processed to create renewable energy such as biogas for heat and electricity or nutrient-rich bio-fertiliser.

We bake to order so there is very little edible food waste. Any excess is taken by Nelly’s Farm to make breadcrumbs for their scotch eggs or Westerlands regenerative farm to feed to their pigs.

MANAGING ENERGY RESOURCES
We have reduced our electricity consumption by investing in new, energy efficient equipment: ovens, a cold room and a dedicated proving room. We continue to upgrade old equipment as we can.

New equipment also reduces service visits which, because of the specialist knowledge required, often require long distance travel.

Equipment that is no longer repairable is collected by local scrap merchants for recycling

SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY
Our team comprises people of diverse cultures and backgrounds and we respect and look after each other.

We support The Food Bank with bread for families during school holidays and Petworth Community Garden year round. We have also supported school projects promoting the importance of eating well and would welcome doing so again.

COMMITMENTS
When range and local maintenance expertise allow, we will move to electric vehicles.

We will continue to look critically at how we operate to identify areas we can reduce waste. We will look to advances in technology to do the same.