Food-on-the-go chain Greggs has outlined how it hopes to help make the world a better place with a 10-point plan on community, health and environmental action.
The Newcastle company’s first sustainability plan outlines how it aims to reducing plastic packaging, increase its healthy food options and improve animal welfare standards.
Greggs has a long-established commitment to corporate responsibility and gives 1% of its profits to the Greggs Foundation charity.
The new plan - billed as “10 things we’re doing to help make the world a better place by 2025” - sees Greggs pledging to support 1,000 breakfast clubs and reduce both its food waste and plastic packaging by 25%.
It also wants to have 50 Greggs Outlet shops to provide cheaper food in poorer areas, with a share of profits given to local community organisations. There are currently 13 outlet shops where day-old food products are sold at reduced prices, around half of them in the North East.
Greggs chief executive Roger Whiteside said: “Greggs has a proud reputation of giving back. Since John Gregg founded the business in 1939, we have always tried to do the right thing by our people, our suppliers and our communities.
“These family values are at the heart of our culture. Today, Greggs is a company with a national presence, supporting hundreds of suppliers, employing thousands of people, and serving millions of consumers.
“The way we operate affects a great many people so being a good business is more important than ever. The global pandemic has reminded us all of the importance of community, the power of kindness, and the value of collaboration to tackle our biggest problems.
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“Now, we must work together to rebuild our economies and address the complex social and environmental problems that we were already grappling with.”
Greggs said its plan is aligned with the ambitions of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals, and would see it becoming a carbon neutral, zero waste business.
Among the 10 pledges is a plan to have at least a quarter of its sites as “Eco-shop stores of the future” that are more environmentally friendly.
It also wants a more diverse workforce and to achieve the highest level of animal welfare standards from the Business Benchmark on Farm Animal Welfare.