Wyke Farms become first UK dairy to achieve Carbon Trust triple standard

Wyke Farms has achieved triple certification to the Carbon Trust Standard for improving environmental performance in carbon emissions, water use and waste.

Wyke Farms’ water recovery plant

Wyke Farms is the first dairy firm in the UK to hold all three certifications at the same time.

Already known for becoming the UK’s first dairy company to become 100% self sufficient in green energy, the Carbon Trust award gives Wyke Farms further differentiation within their category.

Commenting on the news, Rich Clothier, third generation family member and Managing Director, 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.”

‘100% Green’

The company’s long-term sustainability plan, called ‘100% Green’ was launched in 2013. The sustainability plan comprises of four pillars: green farming; ecology; water; and carbon emissions. Since the plan was launched the company have achieved praise from the Prime Minister and won over 25 awards in recognition for the groundbreaking work in sustainability being carried out.

The Carbon Trust Standard is a world-recognised independent certification of an organisation’s achievements in taking action on environmental impacts and tackling climate change. 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.

Darran Messem, Managing Director of Certification at the Carbon Trust, commented: “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.”