Carbon neutral ready meals

fiid, the Irish plant-based food company, has taken their sustainability journey up a notch, by making its entire range of products carbon neutral.

A carbon neutral product can be achieved when the totality of greenhouse gas emissions (CO₂e) emitted is offset by verified carbon offset projects. Carbon offset projects make a decisive contribution to combating global warming by demonstrably saving greenhouse gases. These projects can take the form of forest conservation, reforestation or the development of renewable energy.

The project towards carbon neutrality at fiid was led by the Head of Culture and Capability, Annie Lee who was supported by Climate Partner.

Working with the team at Climate Partner, fiid calculated the carbon emissions generated by their meals based on the Greenhouse Gas Protocol Product Life Cycle Accounting and Reporting Standard (GHG Protocol). fiid measured their Italian Lentil and Sundried Tomato Ragu as a baseline and used these findings to offset the entire range. For the calculation, the “cradle-to-customer plus waste” approach was used, calculating the life cycle of raw materials and packaging, relevant logistics, manufacturing, delivery to customers, and the disposal of fiid and its packaging post-use.  

One 400 g fiid meal emits 0.5 kg CO₂e, which is the same as 8 servings of oats. See below for a breakdown of fiid’s product footprint and the impact from each area of the cycle.  

Some reduction measures fiid has committed to undertake include: 

• Tackle raw materials, sourcing ingredients closer to their manufacturer, lowering transport distances and overall emissions. 

• Partner with proactive logistics companies, who are carbon neutral or working towards a robust sustainability agenda.  

• Complete a full Corporate Carbon Footprint to become a carbon-neutral company. fiid took the first step looking at their products, now it’s time to look at all scopes within the business.  

• Currently, all fiid meals are in a flexible packaging which results in a low footprint by reducing materials, energy use and logistics. Although these are great benefits for the environment, fiid is also looking at ways to fully recycle their packaging and offer 100% reusable, recyclable or compostable packaging for all new product formats.  

In total, the Dublin based business has offset 188t CO₂e for 2020 which is equivalent to the electricity used by 34 homes for an entire year. With Climate Partner, fiid supported projects that align with their sustainability strategy and UN Sustainable Development Goals of Zero Hunger, Good Health and Well-Being and Responsible Consumption and Production. fiid split their offsets between two Gold Standard projects - Clean Cookstoves in Rwanda and Wind Energy in India.