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Bord Bia

Origin Green Charters

The Origin Green charters ensure the credibility of claims that Irish food and drink is sustainably produced through accreditation and third-party verification.

Origin Green Charters

To become a member of Origin Green, manufacturers, retailers, or foodservice companies must sign up for their relevant charter. This requirement does not apply to farmers, as their membership process is supported by independent farm audits and Bord Bia's Sustainability and Quality Assurance Schemes. The Origin Green charter commits Ireland's food, drink, and horticulture industry to directly and robustly engage with the challenges of sustainable production. This includes reducing energy inputs, minimising carbon footprints, and lessening environmental impact. All Origin Green sustainability plans are independently reviewed and monitored annually for progress against the set targets.

  • Origin Green Foodservice Charter and Credits System

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  • Sustainability Charter - Food & Drink Manufacturers

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  • Origin Green Retail Charter and Credits System

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Manufacturer's Charter

As part of the commitment to this charter, food and drink manufacturers must agree to implement clear objectives across three key areas:

  • Raw material sourcing Companies must establish a minimum of two targets in this target area in their sustainability plans, including one mandatory target relating to packaging. Companies are tasked with evaluating the main raw materials used in their operations to identify relevant targets that ensure sustainable sourcing of these raw materials.
  • Environment Companies are required to set targets in their sustainability plans focused on reducing the environmental impact of their own manufacturing processes under four areas: energy/emissions, waste, water, and biodiversity.
  • Social sustainability Depending on the company’s size, it must set targets in their sustainability plans in the following areas: community engagement, employee wellbeing, product health and nutrition, and diversity, equity, and inclusion.

Retail and Foodservice Charter

As part of the commitment to this charter, retail and foodservice companies must agree to clear objectives across four key areas:

  • Sustainable sourcing Companies are required to develop a set of commitments in relation to the procurement of food and drink products. Targets can be related to commitments to source from suppliers with recognised sustainability certifications (such as Origin Green verified member companies) and developing sustainability initiatives, as well as setting specific sourcing targets relating to packaging.
  • Operations Incorporates distribution, storage, and packaging for own-label products in the Origin Green retail and foodservice charter. Companies must include an emissions and waste target, while a target relating to water is optional.
  • Social Sustainability Companies can choose targets in the following areas: health and nutrition, community engagement, employee wellbeing, and diversity, equity, and inclusion. The charters aim to assist participating companies in formalising their involvement in their local communities and committing to maintaining or improving this support throughout the duration of the plan.
  • Additional targets Companies are encouraged to include at least one biodiversity target in their sustainability plan under the additional target area. The target can focus on improving biodiversity on their sites and immediate surroundings or assess how they can enhance, integrate, or protect existing biodiversity throughout the company.

Updates to the Origin Green Charters

Credits System

In order to safeguard Origin Green’s continued evolution and to drive greater impact at the manufacturing level of the programme, a new sustainability credits system was launched in March 2020.

The purpose of this new system is to cater for the diverse nature of Origin Green member companies by placing them into size appropriate membership tiers. Across a total of five tiers which are based upon a company’s annual turnover, varying target requirements are in place from a minimum of 4 targets for micro enterprises to a minimum of 8 for larger multinationals, with various requirements in between.

Performance against the sustainability targets set is measured annually by a third-party verification body to determine the credits awarded, with each tier having a different threshold to achieve ongoing verification. The scoring methodology used will be available publicly to display a greater level of transparency for how membership is achieved and retained.

Gold Membership

The Origin Green programme has also introduced a higher level of membership for companies excelling in their sustainability performance. Each year, companies that have reached a predetermined higher threshold will be designated as Gold Members of the Origin Green programme and rewarded accordingly. Companies within each respective tier will have the opportunity to achieve this milestone.

This change aims to empower and facilitate members to have a greater focus upon implementation of targets as well as offering renewed communications opportunities for the programme showcasing the efforts and impact delivered by the Gold Members of Origin Green.

Become a Member

Origin Green collaborates with over 77,000 farms and 300+ leading Irish food and drink companies to prove and improve the sustainability of the food they produce to meet the evolving needs of global customers and consumers. Verified Origin Green members account for 90% of our food and drink exports and over 70% of the retail market. Becoming an Origin Green member means that your organisation will have the tools to produce food and drink in a sustainable manner now and into the future.

Join today