Our commitment to the environment
NEW PACKS – WITH 30% LESS CARDBOARD
You may have noticed we’ve removed the flap from our cardboard sleeves which – across our whole range – adds up to a 30% reduction in cardboard. This is just one small change to help towards our goal of achieving a greener planet.
Keep an eye out for the new packs over the coming months. And don’t worry, it’s just the sleeve design that has changed – the recipes, ingredients and careful cooking are exactly the same as ever.
Our Packaging
Wooden trays
Our wooden trays can be put in your garden waste bin or compost heap. That said, many of our customers tell us they re-use them, for example as seed planters or serving trays! We’d love to see what you do with yours – do let us know at hello@bighams.com
Ceramic pots
We’ve switched our ceramic pots from white clay to red clay, which uses 50% less energy. For the non-potters among you, red clay only has to be fired once, rather than twice, making it 50% more energy-efficient.
You can now donate your ceramic dishes to your local Oxfam shop, where they can be sold to raise vital funds for Oxfam to help fight poverty and inequality around the world. Do make sure that they are clean and wrapped up safely, and add Gift Aid if you can, so Oxfam can make the most of your donation. You can find your local shop here: Oxfam Shop Finder.
Being made of pottery, our ramekins are also recyclable in the hardcore section of your local tip.
Or why not reuse them as plant pots for herbs, dishes for nibbles or dips, or as cooking dishes for individual Yorkshire puddings, shepherd’s pies – or even apple crumbles?
Cardboard sleeves & boxes
These can be recycled with your usual everyday household paper and cardboard.
Plastic film
All of this can be recycled with your usual household plastics.
Foil
This can be recycled with your usual household metal packaging.
Business as a force for good
When Charlie started our company from his kitchen table nearly 25 years ago, he had one ambition: to create a brilliant food business that would stand the test of time. And from the start that has meant working extra hard to look after our people, our community and the environment.
So we’re incredibly proud to have been awarded the B Corp certification, granted only to organisations using business as a force for good. But it doesn’t end there – the B Corp team have already helped us set new targets for water consumption, energy use and carbon drawdown. We want to keep getting better and better each day, and becoming a B Corporation is a fantastic way to make sure we do just that.
We’re delighted to be able to share our latest Impact Report with you. Inside, you can read about our ongoing support for charities, and why we’re so proud to be a Certified Great Place to Work.
Our Kitchens
Our Somerset Kitchen sits in a disused quarry, land that would otherwise have been left empty and dead. This means that we’ve avoided converting Greenbelt land into industrial land, and have even improved local wildlife by rewilding 22 acres of surrounding countryside. We can also bring 300 much-needed manufacturing jobs to the local area, stretching to 1000 at full capacity.
The building itself is specifically designed to work with the land, minimising use of energy and resources. We use motion-sensor LED lights across the entire site, all refrigeration is hydrocarbon-free, and breathable air vents mean we don’t need air conditioning, saving 40Kw/H. A bespoke, onsite Water Treatment Plant returns waste water to the source river clearer than it started and has reduced our water consumption by 20% already this year – a figure that will eventually rise to 70%.
Environment
At Charlie Bigham’s, we’re committed to making a positive impact on the environment. We’re proud to be a certified B Corp, a recognition of our commitment to using business as a force for good since Charlie started the business almost 25 years ago. We’re always working to maximise our positive impact on the land and minimise our negative impact on the environment.
Impact Report 2022
We’re delighted to be able to share our Impact Report with you. Inside, you can read about our ongoing support for charities, and why we’re so proud to be a Certified Great Place to Work.
See 2021 Impact Report