Spotlight: Sustainability

Bunzl’s Jodi Ross, Darren Steele and Robin Pyne cook for a cause with OzHarvest.

Harvest Help

Bunzl continues its crucial partnership with OzHarvest to reduce food waste in Australia.

IT MIGHT BE more widely talked about than ever, but food waste still brings with it some alarming stats.

In Australia, 7.6 million tonnes of food is wasted each year, 70% of which is perfectly edible. In the same timeframe in New Zealand, NZ$1.17 billion of food is thrown out.

There’s a lot that can be done within the hospitality and healthcare catering sectors to reduce the amount of food sent to garbage, which is why Bunzl has a longstanding partnership with leading Australian food waste charity OzHarvest.

This partnership has been underpinned by several important initiatives between the two organisations, such as Bunzl’s 2020 contribution of the equivalent of 100,000 meals for underprivileged families.

This year has seen the two partners team up again during the International Day of Awareness of Food Loss and Waste, with Bunzl helping the charity on its food-rescue mission.

OzHarvest’s innovative approach continues to have an impact on reducing waste and helping those in need. The charity’s Cooking for a Cause program, for example, sees groups of eight or more keen cooks learn how to make restaurant-grade food from a selection of rescue ingredients during a half-day experience, and has proved very popular with corporate groups as a teambuilding exercise – including Bunzl’s APAC leaders. “Led by the masters of zero-waste cooking, you’ll learn how to chop an onion properly and cook root to stem, as you create a range of delicious and nutritious meals,” says OzHarvest CEO and founder Ronni Kahn. “Teams also help pack the food ready to deliver to local charities and [the] impact can be seen immediately through the number of meals created, which is often well over 100 portions!”

Bunzl has committed to building a more sustainable future, and is proud to partner with OzHarvest. ozharvest.org/cooking-for-a-cause/

The Centre of Sustainability

In the shape of the new Pemulwuy distribution centre, Bunzl is committing to a more sustainable future.

ONCE A MOVEMENT that existed only on the margins, sustainable architecture has increasingly moved into the mainstream. Primarily this is down to a realisation that the built environment has a huge impact on the planet. In short, it accounts for around 50% of all annual global CO2 emissions, with building operations alone responsible for 27%.

Long an advocate of creating a more sustainable future, Bunzl has focused on lowering its own carbon footprint across the business. Nowhere is that more evident than in the construction of the company’s new distribution centre in Pemulwuy, NSW (30km west of Sydney’s CBD), which has been recognised as one of the greenest buildings in Australia.

Due to be completed later this year, the 23,442sqm distribution facility – one of the seven buildings on the 94,000sqm site – has been awarded a 6-star Green Star certification by the Green Building Council Australia. This rating indicates the use of environmentally sustainable building practices that are world leading.

Features that contribute to the 6-star rating include a 300kW solar system, solar-heated water, LED lights, smart electricity systems, rainwater harvesting and water metering. This is in line with the cutting edge of sustainable architecture, which advocates for buildings that produce minimal harmful effects to the environment, both in their build and in their ongoing operation.

As well as its focus on sustainability, the facility’s design offers practical efficiencies that will enable Bunzl to accommodate business growth, stage more product and improve outbound dispatch functionality. Available warehousing alone stands at a huge 21,300sqm, sitting alongside 1,400sqm of splitlevel office space. There is also a 480sqm battery charge room on site.

All in all, this represents a lasting benefit to customers, as Bunzl continues to improve the efficiency of the business’s operations, while committing to further lowering its carbon footprint. bunzl.com.au/sustainability

Bunzl’s new Pemulwuy distribution centre is a worldleading example of sustainable architecture.