Our commitments
to the planet
At The Ilchester Cheese Co. we are committed to being a more sustainable manufacturer and responsible employer by working hard on improvements across our three pillars of Planet, Packaging and People.
Planet
Renewable Energy
We are on a path to be self-sufficient in electricity by 2030.
We already only buy electricity from Green energy suppliers, and in 2024 were more than 22% self-sufficient for our electricity needs.
We have an ambitious phased solar plan, starting with our solar factory roof installation in 2024, followed by building solar into our carpark, storage containers and on the ground. This will take us to 100% self-sufficiency in electrical energy within the next 5 years.
Waste
We send Zero waste to landfill. All of our food waste (that cannot be repurposed safely) is anaerobically digested and turned into Biogas. Packaging and general waste is incinerated to produce electricity.
Site Impact
We are reducing energy use and environmental impact on site through a number of initiatives such as internal and external LED lighting, low water flush toilets, RDM temperature monitoring control system (using outside air to cool inside in winter meaning we use less electrical energy on our refrigeration systems).
Biodiversity
We planted a fruit orchard 17 years ago, and now have around 90 established apple, pear and plum trees supporting wildlife and biodiversity on site. We continue to build our biodiversity plans making the site greener and more attractive to wildlife.
Packaging
Recyclability
Our ambition: All our packaging will be 100% recyclable at home by 2027. 100% of the rigid plastics used for our slices and wedges sold in the UK are already recyclable at home, and our next priority is to replace all our films and flexible plastics with recyclable material.
As a cheese business we need to balance our sustainability goals with safety, so over the next couple of years we will be hard at work conducting trials to ensure that recyclable solutions are as reliable as our existing film. Bear with us whilst we get there.
Our Employees
Our ambition: We hope soon to be a certified Living Wage Foundation Employer (watch this space) and our ambition is to be also recognised as a Great Place to Work in 2025.
Our people are our priority, and we pride ourselves on our industry leading benefits programme ranging from excellent pension contributions, money-off schemes, financial services support, EAP Programmes and Healthcare for every employee. Our average length of service is 6.8 years, which is well above industry average.
People
Community
The majority of our factory and office colleagues live in and around South Somerset, so it’s important to us that we play an active role in the community.
We donate cheese to the wonderful Help for Homeless for their soup kitchens and provide hampers regularly to local charities and for local community events. We are also proud sponsors of the Ilchester U16s football team.
If you are based locally and would like to speak to us about getting support with volunteering initiatives, charity support or sponsorship, please get in touch via the contact form.
Interested in
working with us?
