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October 10, 2023O’Brien Fine Foods (“OBFF”) is the largest producer of cooked meats on the island of Ireland, supplying both private and branded label ranges, including Green Farm and Brady Family Ham. The organisation aims to bring better quality food to everyone, every day under the three pillars of “Better Sourced, Better Made, and Better for You.”
Sustainability is a key aspect of OBFF’s overall Business Strategy and OBFF is committed to benefiting all stakeholders and contributing to the UN Sustainable Development Goals. To achieve this, OBFF have set Science Based Targets, become certified as a B Corp, and use the CDP global disclosure system.
This case study highlights how the OBFF team is using the ENSO platform to further their sustainability goals, communicate their progress, and to keep themselves accountable along the way.
The Challenge
The biggest sustainability challenges for O’Brien Fine Foods have always been related to climate and emissions-based targets. Having created a roadmap to understand their emissions, the organisation was able to identify key areas to focus on to reduce their overall impact.
Scope 3 emissions, or emissions from their value chain, make up a significant percentage of their overall carbon footprint, as they work with many different processors, all of which are working with a number of farmers.
The challenge lies in the need to communicate and collaborate with suppliers on the changes required to make positive changes along their supply chain, from farm to fork.
To achieve this they also need to look downstream towards the Retailers and how to get the entire supply chain working towards a common goal, supporting all their sustainability goals.
The Solution
To accomplish their emissions and sustainability goals, O’Brien Fine Foods focuses on two crucial actions:
- communication; and
- raising awareness throughout the supply chain.
They recognise that transparency and sharing of information are integral to this process.
By sharing knowledge, they aim to foster collaboration and innovative solutions, positively impacting their entire value chain’s sustainability.
Through their partnership with ENSO, O’Brien Fine Foods effectively leverages the platform’s features to enhance communication with both internal and external stakeholders.
Key Benefits:
- Enhanced Communication: OBFF leveraged the ENSO platform to effectively showcase their measurable commitments through their dedicated ENSO web page. By supplementing this information with informative blogs, OBFF are able to convey a comprehensive sustainability story with concrete evidence of their actions. They use this page to communicate with both internal and external stakeholders, facilitating transparent communication as well as fostering trust and credibility in their sustainability efforts.
- Streamlined Information: Managing vast amounts of sustainability data, actions, and policies can be challenging without a structured approach. With the ENSO platform, the team at OBFF are able to more effectively organise all of the information they need in an easily accessible way. This streamlined approach will be helpful as they continue their sustainability journey and need to share data and actions with suppliers, retailers, and other stakeholders.
- Alignment with Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs): As an organisation, OBFF has committed to contributing to the advancement of the SDGs. The ENSO platform facilitates direct linkages between their initiatives and specific SDGs, providing a clear overview of their contribution. This strategic alignment empowers OBFF to prioritise actions that align with their overarching commitment to the Sustainable Development Goals, reinforcing their positive impact on global sustainability challenges.
The Results
Through their collaboration with ENSO, O’Brien Fine Foods has continued to make great progress towards achieving their sustainability goals and becoming a leader in their sector.
Through their engagement with the ENSO platform, OBFF have:
- Streamlined Stakeholder Communication: The ENSO platform, which features a public webpage and generates custom reports, has helped OBFF to share their progress and strategy more easily both internally and externally in a time efficient manner. By having all the information in one place and automatically displayed, they are able to quickly and easily update all stakeholders when necessary.
- Increased Accountability and Transparency: OBFF has always aimed to meet the highest standards of transparency in their communication. When they started with ENSO, they were already sharing their sustainability goals clearly on their website. However, the ENSO platform took this to the next level and allowed them to communicate more effectively about how they were working to achieve these goals, including their actions and what metrics they are using. This is a useful tool not just for transparency, but also for accountability. By also sharing progress internally, the team can gain clarity about what goals they have achieved and where they may need to focus extra energy to improve.
Conclusion
“O’Brien Fine Foods is committed to bringing better quality food to everyone while prioritising sustainability. By using Science Based Targets, B Corp certification, and the ENSO platform, we are able to effectively communicate our progress, collaborate with stakeholders, and drive positive change throughout the value chain.”
Nicholas Reynolds
At OBFF, sustainability is not just an afterthought. It is a core pillar of their business and is factored into all decisions they make through the consideration of four key points: profit, revenue, people, and purpose. The team understands that not every decision they make will be perfect and that sustainability is a journey. The ENSO platform has been an integral tool for OBFF and will continue to help them be transparent, accountable, and organised throughout their sustainability journey.
For more information on O’Brien Fine Foods sustainability journey checkout their ENSO public webpage here where you can see more about the commitments they have made and the progress they are making.
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