‘Doing things right’ – CSR the Adnams’ way

Source: Food and Drink Digital

Date :28/04/2008 11:12:10

At Adnams Plc, the brewery and leisure retailer, based in Suffolk, they place an enormous amount of importance upon their CSR strategy, which is at the core of all that they do.

Andy Wood, Managing Director of Adnams, notes; “Adnams is a values-driven business. We measure every business decision against a stated set of values, which we summarise as ‘doing things right’; believing that this leads to a better motivated workforce, better relationships with customers, suppliers and our local community. In turn, our brand has greater resonance with our consumers, and thus we believe our approach can produce better business results.”

The importance of good practice

From the outset, responsible corporate management has been genuinely embedded in the organisation. A competent CSR policy for Adnams is largely a matter of engaging with the local community, alongside positive environmental management. They aim to reduce their carbon footprint as far as possible, eventually becoming carbon neutral. The firm believe good relations with the community and good environmental practice go hand-in-hand to make good business sense.

The distribution centre

Adnams recently took the decision to move out of the old distribution centre and invest in a brand new and environmentally efficient facility. They chose to utilise a disused gravel site on the outskirts of Southwold. Being a values-led organisation, Adnams decided to challenge themselves and the architect they worked with, to design a highly eco-efficient centre. The building is the first commercial structure of its kind in the UK.

The walls are made of hemcrete; a biocomposite of chopped hemp and a lime based binder, which has a very low embodied energy. Further benefits are that it provides outstanding thermal performance and passively regulates the humidity and temperature, so that within the centre, no artificial forms of refrigeration are needed. One of the greenest and most obvious environmental features to the exterior of the property is that of the centre’s green roof. Sedum was chosen to enhance the setting and promote biodiversity. Like the lime-hemp walls, it will sequester up to 80 tonnes of carbon per annum and helps to regulate the internal temperature. The roof also provides a rainwater catchment area, and rainwater is then used across the site for toilet flushing and vehicle washing. Aside from the roof and the walls, the centre is energized by solar panels, supported by glulam wood beams, and has movement sensors for lighting installed throughout.

Brewery

The complete replacement of the brewstream has been their other recent major project. The new state-of-the-art installation recovers 100% of the heat and steam from each brew, 90% of which is used to reheat the next. This has a positive effect on the environment by reducing the amount of gas needed during the brewing process. The new system can also brew larger batches in less time, meaning that overall gas usage has been reduced.

The lightweight bottle

With the constant aim of improving their environmental standards across all areas of the business, Adnams look to their products, as well as to their production methods.

At the beginning of 2007, they launched a new lightweight bottle, which resulted in them receiving the award for ‘best innovation to reduce household waste’ at the prestigious Starpack Awards in 2007. At 299g, it was the lightest 500ml bottle on the shelves for a long time. The bottle has delivered real savings in terms of glass and CO2. Their glass usage has been reduced by 624 tonnes per annum and CO2 by 415 tonnes per annum, equivalent to taking 138 cars a year off the road. This equates to the company taking their whole sales team off the road for a year and neutralising all employee commuter journeys to and from work.

Adnams are also currently working with one of the leading supermarkets to design a carbon-free beer, which will be available to buy from April 2008.

CSR in the community

Unlike many other companies, Adnams has taken their CSR policy outside the realms of the ‘office’ and delved into CSR in the surrounding area. Significantly they are members of the PerCent club, by which, they give at least one percent of their annual profits to the local community, through their own Charitable Trust. They have also adopted a section of Southwold beach and organise regular beach cleans there, encouraging their staff, the local community and anyone else who wants to, to get involved. At the last beach clean, over 80 of Adnams employees, their families and members of the local community came together to ‘do the right thing’ with a genuine purpose.

Responsible drinking

Despite being a producer of beers and wines sold on a national scale, Adnams do not wish to encourage irresponsible drinking. Their stance is highlighted clearly, through the strapline printed on their bottles; ‘Remember, you can have too much of a good thing.’ During the past year, they have worked closely with local organisations and young people to produce informative ‘alco-cards’ and an educational video. Adnams also realises that ‘good practice starts in the home’, and therefore they have undertaken widespread staff training on the issue. Andy Wood summarises their view on this subject, by stating, “We are proud to make great beer and import fantastic wine, but firmly believe that alcohol should be enjoyed in moderation”.

Engaging employees through CSR

Adnams strive for an informal, energised, team-working culture, and a workforce which is better trained, more fully empowered and highly motivated. Furthermore, their CSR policy is widely disseminated and communicated to all employees. It is imperative to them that their employees understand and appreciate the values at the hub of the business.

A significant part of Adnams’ CSR policy, is the conduction of regular employee surveys, to monitor employee engagement – testing staff’s knowledge of Adnams’ brand and assessing how happy they are in their working lives. This is crucial, because if staff are unhappy, chances are customers will be too.

Adnams recognises their employees as a major driving force in their achievements. Rapid response to suggestions from employees for environmental and social improvements has demonstrated a commitment to innovation and constant progression.

Recognition of CSR success

Suffice to say, Adnams’ CSR policy currently sets industry-leading standards for environmental practice, and it is their intention to continue to set these examples, so that other businesses may follow suit. Their dedication to great CSR is reflected in the awards they have received in the last few years. Examples include the National Business Award for the Best Corporate Social Responsibility 2007, the GoodCorporation’s Ethical Business Practice Award, and the Carbon Trust’ Carbon Innovator of the Year 2007. Each of these awards, has succeeded in gaining Adnams greater recognition across the country and Andy Wood is certain that their top-rate CSR programme is at the heart of their growing success. “At Adnams, we are convinced that we build our increasing business value and generate better business results, through running a values-driven business”.

April 28, 2008