Behind the carbon story: how we achieve net zero

Every product has a carbon story, especially in the fresh produce industry.

Whether the customer picks up a bag of apples or a butternut squash, decisions made hundreds of miles away have already shaped its carbon footprint. From planning and harvesting to packing and transporting, each stage adds value to the end product – all while contributing to its environmental impact.

MWW recently brought together more than 14 colleagues – including directors, members of the Senior Management Team and departmental heads from farming, procurement, operations, logistics, supply chain, technical and finance – for a detailed decarbonisation workshop.

The aim behind the workshop was to explore opportunities for decarbonisation and better understand the part we can all play in reducing our carbon footprint.

Who is responsible for the carbon footprint?

What many people don’t realise is that a company’s carbon footprint is not owned by just one department. It’s shaped by every choice we make from sourcing growers to farming to transport; each decision influences the carbon story of our products.

Currently, 97% of our calculated carbon footprint sits inside Scope 3 of the Greenhouse Gas Protocol. These are the indirect emissions we generate outside of our own sites via the supply chain.

This means our efforts at decarbonisation can’t stop at just our sites. We must also work closely with our partners, including our growers, suppliers, logistics providers and customers.

Our decarbonisation pledge

As a multigenerational business, we are committed to achieving net-zero emissions across our operations and value chain by 2050 and ensuring our targets align with the goals of the Paris Climate Agreement. The decarbonisation workshop is just one step in our journey to becoming a net-zero company.

Looking beyond food miles

Discussions around sustainability often focus just on food miles, but the distance something has travelled only tells part of the carbon story. On paper, overseas production may appear to have a larger carbon footprint than a shorter UK-based supply route.

However, the reality can be more complex, with many overseas farming sites supporting local communities whose livelihoods depend on agriculture. The shorter supply route could still have other environmental or resource costs elsewhere in the supply chain.

This is why any discussions around decarbonisation must include fair miles: understanding the full environmental, social, and economic consequences of producing and delivering food. Reducing emissions is vital, but sustainability must also be about supporting communities, protecting livelihoods, ensuring fair economic outcomes, and maintaining resilient food supply chains.

Customers also influence the carbon footprint of the products they buy. Decisions around availability, shelf life, format, packaging, and price all affect the level of emissions created throughout the supply chain.

Sometimes customers may accept a higher impact in one area, which may be accepted to reduce food waste or achieve savings elsewhere. Our role is to make these trade-offs visible, provide accurate information, and offer lower-impact alternatives where practical.

From carbon reporting to business improvement

Carbon emissions are often concentrated where value is being lost through avoidable waste, reduced yields, excess energy use, underfilled vehicles, unnecessary handling or overuse of materials and inputs.

However, to be able to make better decisions depends on having better information. Measuring emissions accurately remains a challenge across many industries, and carbon accounting methodologies are continuing to evolve.

We do not claim to be carbon neutral – our journey is still ongoing. We will continue to reduce emissions where we can, measure progress carefully, and communicate transparently about both our achievements and the challenges that remain.

Every product leaves a carbon footprint. Our responsibility is to understand it, reduce it wherever possible, and make better informed decisions for the future. Net zero will not be achieved through ambition alone, but through practical action, collaboration, and sustained investment over time.

Responsible businesses are not defined by the promises they make, but by the decisions they continue to take year after year.

Read more about our carbon reduction plans here.