FDBusiness.com

Dawn Meats has accepted its fourth sustainability award in three weeks when it was recognised with the Process Award at the IBEC Environment Awards 2013. This latest award further cements Dawn Meats’ position as Ireland’s most sustainable meat processor.

The Process Award recognises Dawn Meats as a pioneer in the development and implementation of sustainable production solutions. Dawn Meats’ aim was to reduce fossil fuel use by 80% at one of its major meat processing plants using superconducting heat recovery technology (originally conceived by NASA scientists) to produce hot water.

The project delivered a thermal efficiency improvement of 90% at its Ballyhaunis plant and over 50% at other facilities. The success of the project has allowed Dawn Meats to increase its corporate target for energy efficiency from 20% to 40%. This win follows hot on the heels of three other sustainability awards in as many weeks, including:

* SEAI Innovation Award –Dawn Meats’ energy efficiency solution beat Microsoft and a range of other leading edge companies to claim the top prize for its heat recovery solution

* Bord Bia’s Origin Green’s overall Sustainability Award – for saving up to 60 million litres of water and reducing Dawn Meats’ carbon footprint by 3,000 tonnes in one year

* The UK’s prestigious Green Apple Environmental Award. Dawn Meats competed with over 500 nominations in the UK and was named National Green Champion (Ireland) – of which there is just one per country

Niall Browne, chief executive of Dawn Meats, comments: “For Dawn Meats the most satisfying part of a sustainability award is the underlying environmental solution that delivers efficiency and underpins our green credentials. We are now exporting to over forty countries where traceability and environmental sustainability are expected by our customers and by end consumers.”

He adds: “Our environmental team under the leadership of Charlie Coakley has not only embraced the sustainability challenge, but has become a standard bearer for the meat industry in particular. I’m delighted that these achievements have been so widely recognised. Looking ahead, we have set ambitious sustainability targets for delivery by 2020, including: a 50% reduction in our carbon footprint and reductions of 40% in water and energy consumption.”

Headquartered in Grannagh, County Waterford, Dawn Meats employs over 2,700 staff and supplies a wide range of meat products to customers in over 40 countries worldwide.

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Pictured at the awards are (L-R): Charlie Coakley, group environmental manager of Dawn Meats; Minister for the Environment Phil Hogan TD; Niall Browne, group chief executive of Dawn Meats; and Philip Tallon, group operations manager of Dawn Meats.