SUSTAINABILITY
Our Journey & Approach
LATEST REPORTS
SUSTAINABILITY PROGRESS UPDATE 2025
Find out more about our sustainability journey in our 2025 Sustainability Progress Update Report, published June 2025.
Net Zero Roadmap 2024 Progress Report
Find out more about our Net Zero Roadmap download report for 2024, published November 2024.
SOURCING STANDARD REPORT 2023
Find out more about our Sourcing Standard, download the report for 2023
At Lactalis in the UK, we take our environmental and social responsibility seriously. As part of Lactalis Group, our CSR work is aligned to a global framework focused on key sustainability issues: fighting global warming, heading towards a more circular economy and improving animal welfare.
We are committed to our sustainability journey and have published our goal to achieve carbon net zero across our entire value chain by 2050. We work in partnership with our suppliers, farmers, trade bodies and NGOs to avail ourselves of the best possible expertise so that we can move forwards together. We have developed our Sustainability strategy, and our 4 areas of focus are Climate, Animal Welfare, Packaging & People. Read more in our Sustainability Progress report.
OUR RESPONSIBILITY
We have a responsibility to our consumers and society to always do the right thing – to run our business as efficiently as possible, reducing the amount of energy and raw materials we use, and help our suppliers to do the same.
OUR SUPPORT
We must also help our consumers make better choices too, by delivering healthy and nutritious food, produced in ways that minimise damage to the environment.
OUR COMMITMENT
We’re committed to understanding and responding to the changes in our environment to make sure we are equipped to build a sustainable business that looks after people and the planet, with high standards of animal welfare.
Our sustainability journey
OUR APPROACH
Our approach to sustainability for both Lactalis UK & Ireland and Lactalis Nestlé Chilled Dairy (LNCD) is focused on what’s important to our businesses, but also crucially what is important to our stakeholders, including our employees and suppliers, our farmers and our customers. The wider needs of society and the environment are also critical.
In addressing a range of sustainability issues, we have four core areas of focus:
CLIMATE
Minimising our impact on the environment
Carbon Emissions
Looking After The Enviroment
Sustainable Logistics
ANIMAL WELFARE
Supporting our partnering farms in promoting high standards of animal welfare and sustainability
Supporting Farmers
Animal Welfare
PRODUCT & PACKAGING
Producing the best dairy products for quality and sustainability
Food Waste
Transparency & Responsible Marketing
Packaging
PEOPLE
Pursuing excellence and opportunity for all
Health & Safety
Attracting & Developing People
Supporting Local Communities
OUR 2050 AMBITION
We have made a solid start to our sustainability journey.
We have set out a clear pathway to make further improvements and have clear commitments for each of our focus areas.
CLIMATE
Minimising our impact on the enviroment
Lactalis Group commits to reach net-zero greenhouse gas emissions across the value chain by 2050.
ANIMAL WELFARE
We want to lead the way to a more sustainable future by embracing science, stewardship and technology in our journey. As one of the UK’s leading dairy businesses, we’re proud to support our contracted farmers who share our commitment to uphold high milk quality, animal welfare and environment standards on farm.
38,000
Animals cared for by our farmer suppliers
125
Contracted farmers
Our supplying farmers must comply with Red Tractor’s comprehensive standards which underpin animal health and welfare practices on farm.
OUR COMMITMENTS
- All farms audited against Lactalis Sustain animal welfare standards, and all farms provide herd health plans.
- Reduction of on-farm antibiotic use.
- Continue participation with industry initiatives including UK Dairy Roadmap, Future Dairy Partnership and Digital Dairy Chain.
SUSTAINABILITY PAYMENT
Our farmers share our commitment to high standards of animal welfare and protecting the environment, which is why in January 2024, we introduced a Sustainability Payment element to the price we pay for the milk we use in our operations.
The Sustainability Payment rewards our farmers for participating in key initiatives which include:
Antibiotic Benchmarking
To maintain the effectiveness of antibiotics and limit the risk of the build-up of Antimicrobial Resistance, our farmers participate with an annual monitoring programme and consent to their vets sharing details about antibiotic use. Farmers and their vets discuss the results and implement preventative measures to reduce the amount of antibiotics used to manage herd health and welfare.
Carbon Footprint
Through carbon audits on our farms, we identify the steps each farmer can take to reduce greenhouse emissions. Qualified advisors make recommendations to reduce farm carbon footprints and we work with farmers to achieve our shared goal of a low carbon future.
Herd Health Plan
Herd Health Plans are an effective way of reducing antibiotic use on farm and monitoring herd health. These bespoke plans are created with the farms’ vets, and focus on preventative health measures including good biosecurity, hygiene, nutrition and vaccine use. Farmers are required to submit their plans and health performance information to us annually. This enables the collation of data on key welfare outcomes and allow us to monitor herd health across our farms.
The Lactalis Development Group
PRODUCT & PACKAGING
Producing the best dairy products for quality and sustainability
Our customers can be confident that our range of products will be high quality, safely packaged, nutritious and delicious.
SUSTAINABLE PACKAGING
Finding the right pack
Improving Circularity
We will aim for 100% recyclable packaging by design in 2025.*
Extended Producer Responsibility scheme (EPR).*
Educating Consumers
* Ambition on a set of 23 countries accounting for 85% of Lactalis Group turnover in 2019. All acquisitions since December 2019 excluded at this stage.
** Ambition set at Lactalis Group level. All acquisitions since December 2019 excluded at this stage.
PEOPLE
Pursuing excellence and opportunity for all.
At Lactalis, people matter. We are a family business connected by shared values, ethics and a passion for making products that bring people closer together.
GOOD EMPLOYER | OUR COMMUNITIES
By 2033, no more than 60% of one gender in leadership positions.
100% of all newcomers trained in DE&I starting from 2024
The company will match employee fundraising for our chosen charity up to agreed target levels each year.
Commit to running an employee engagement survey every 2 years.
Roll out our volunteer scheme and build year-on-year participation rates