Stowmarket-based malt and malted ingredient manufacturer, Muntons, has published a new sustainability statement.

Over the past 15 years Muntons has reduced its carbon emissions by 18% — better than the government target as defined through its climate change levy. But this is just the beginning for Muntons, which has set an ambitious target to reduce its greenhouse gas emissions by a further 45% by 2025, based on 2010 levels.

MuntonsMuntons is one of only a few businesses globally to have set a science based target for reduction in carbon emissions. The new target has been ratified by sciencebasedtargets.org, an independent organisation representing, so far, 391 global companies who have committed to tackling climate change, in line with the Paris Agreement.

The aim of science based Ttargets is to limit global warming to well below two degrees Celsius by 2050, through businesses using practical programmes to improve greenhouse emissions. Muntons is the first maltster in the world to commit to this sustainability programme.

Dr Nigel Davies, Muntons’ manufacturing and sustainability director, said: “Muntons have always led the way with sustainability within the malting industry. We recognised very early that sustainability initiatives bring direct business benefits over and above the more obvious, and important, benefits these can have on the environment.

“Our prime raw material is malting barley, which grows particularly well in the local region — a crop which depends totally on the weather. Without barley we probably wouldn’t have a business.”

Science based targets are just one of the areas covered in Muntons new sustainability statement. The full statement can be viewed on the Muntons website