Abstract

The paper highlights the role of environment laws and legislation in achieving sustainability for the food industry. We present a real life case study of a food sector company, Riverside Bakery, a subsidiary of the Pork Farms Group in the United Kingdom; and illustrate carbon footprint calculations within the regulatory framework of the UK government. We illustrate how to measure and calculate the carbon footprint of a company on the basis of Scope I, II, and III emissions by identifying and quantifying all sources of energy consumption. Our calculations indicate a 9.56 per cent decrease in carbon footprint of the company as compared to baseline year. The calculations illustrated in our case study can be replicated by companies in emerging economies by using country-specific conversion factors. Since small companies in emerging economies lack the resources and knowledge to implement sustainability initiatives, our case study can serve as a small step for these companies towards the ultimate goal of becoming environmentally sustainable and reduce their carbon footprints. Previous research suggests that small and medium enterprises (SMEs) possess various organizational characteristics for promoting and implementing internal sustainability related practices but lack capabilities for external communication and reporting. On the other hand, such SMEs while transitioning to large multinational enterprises (MNEs) develop capabilities to promote external communication and reporting but find themselves constrained in internal implementation due to their increased size. The paper provides a road map to measure and manage carbon footprint of easily identifiable major emission sources in a SME, which can continue to be monitored as the company grows and expands internationally; thus, delivering financial benefits even after the transition phase.