Puffin Produce has won Best Environmental / Sustainability Initiative at the British Potato Awards 2025.
The award recognises Puffin Produce’s holistic approach to long-term sustainability, alongside tangible actions for growers.
In Winter 2024 Puffin launched its ‘Sustainable Spuds’ grower scheme, a sector-leading framework that incentivises on-farm actions for positive environmental outcomes. Designed as a catalyst for change, the scheme covers end-to-end crop production cycles, while creating a model for farmers to be paid a premium for improving nutrient optimisation, energy efficiency, soil health and biodiversity, and reducing emissions.
The company is also home to ROOT ZERO, the UK’s first carbon-neutral potato, which launched in 2021 with bold targets to cut carbon intensity by 51% per kg of potatoes by 2030. With progress tracking well, the brand is also known for its 100% plastic-free compostable and recyclable packaging. Alongside this, marketing centres around consumer education on food waste and energy efficient cooking methods, as well as support for wildlife partnerships, including a donation of 0.5p per pack sold to the Bumblebee Conservation Trust.
Through the Science Based Targets Initiative (SBTi), Puffin Produce aims to reduce Scope 1 and Scope 2 emissions by 46% by 2030, with at least 90% reduction across all scopes by 2040. Since baseline carbon assessments in 2019, operational emissions have reduced by 30%, with the installation of 2 megawatts of solar panels on 6,000 m2 of roof space making a significant contribution. This investment provides 100% self-generated energy during summer months, with emissions savings of 2.4 tonnes of CO2e per day. Puffin purchases energy from ‘zero-carbon’ sources to support operations during winter, as well as its ongoing transition away from fossil fuels.
Puffin strives to optimise technology and resource efficiency to minimise wastage and maximise crop utilisation – aiming for the greatest possibility that every potato grown reaches the end consumer. A commitment in 2015 through Courtauld 2030 (UK Food and Drink Pact) to reduce food waste by 50% has been exceeded five years ahead of schedule, with a 57% reduction reported despite increases in production volumes. Puffin Produce is also a Leading Food Partner for FareShare Cymru, this year reaching the milestone of contributing produce to create two million meals via the ‘Surplus with Purpose’ scheme.
More recently, Puffin Produce has co-founded the Wales Landscape Enterprise Network (LENs). The LENs framework enables collaborative funding and implementation of nature-based solutions to enhance water quality, biodiversity, and climate resilience.
This year through the new Wales LENs initiative alone, on-farm initiatives have resulted in:
- More than 150 acres of enhancements across potato production systems to support resilient and productive agricultural landscapes.
- 25% increase across five key wildlife species groups
- 17% reduction in carbon emissions per tonne of potatoes, with 40kg less nitrogen used per hectare without a yield penalty.
Emma Adams, Head of Sustainability, Puffin Produce, said:
“This award is a superb achievement for all those involved in our sustainability initiatives, from farm to fork. It shows how collaborative actions can work alongside agile investment to provide rapid, measurable, solutions that really make a difference to the environment around us. Agricultural systems are complex, but they also provide opportunities to meet the challenges of the climate crisis, if we work together.”
Based in Pembrokeshire, Puffin Produce has roughly 80% of its produce supplied from within 50 miles. As the only BRC AA+ accredited vegetable processing facility in Wales, it is home to two Protected Geographical Indicator (PGI) products, Pembrokeshire Early Potatoes (PGI) and Welsh Leeks (PGI), and supplies produce and daffodils to UK retailers and wholesalers.
