The Dairy Roadmap has unveiled new “ambitious” targets to drive environmental and sustainability progress across the dairy processing sector.
The targets, presented by The Dairy Roadmap’s Processor Working Group, focuses on three areas: climate change and energy, water, and plastics and packaging.
On plastics and packaging, the roadmap’s ambition is to eliminate unnecessary single-use plastic, maximise recycled content and improve recyclability, while minimising carbon impact.
The new targets are for all packaging to be recyclable where possible and economically viable, for 100% of paper and card to be FSC-certified or equivalent and for the removal of dyed plastic bottle caps by 2030.
On climate change, it aims to limit global warming to 1.5°C and achieve zero contribution from the dairy sector towards global warming by 2050.
New processor targets would increase measurement, transparency and action on emissions, the organisation said.
The goals in this area include that all processors should estimate and report their Scope 1 and 2 emissions, SMEs should undertake the Science Based Targets initiative and present to their boards by the end of 2026, and all processors should set SBTi-approved Scope 1 and 2 targets by the end of 2027.
For Scope 3 emissions, large organisations should set SBTi-approved Scope 3 targets, including Forest, Land, and Agriculture targets by the end of 2027
The end goal surrounding water is for no serious pollution incidents, compliance with legislation, sustainable water use and the best possible treatment and use of wastewater including reuse where possible.
The new targets for all processors are to measure water usage in their own operations, to undertake a water risk assessment that will help develop a local action plan by the end of 2026 and to develop an action plan to reduce water risk by the end of 2027.
The sector will also focus on reducing water usage and reliance on mains water through improved education, efficiency, treatment and reuse, while engaging with catchment level projects where appropriate, the roadmap added.
“The UK dairy sector is in a strong position thanks to pre-competitive collaboration and an emphasis on continuous improvement,” said Dr Emma Gregson, Dairy Roadmap secretariat and environment manager at Dairy UK. “The next phase is about continuing to set challenging but realistic targets, streamlining data collection to track progress and sharing what works so the whole sector can move forward together.”
To enable consistent tracking of progress against these new targets, a data collection template has been developed by The Dairy Roadmap’s Processor Working Group.
Guidance on SBTi and water targets is also being developed, while discussions continue on recycled content within packaging.
The working group will continually review progress and develop potential new targets in response to industry, policy and legislative developments.
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