Why Baker & Baker is supporting the Norfolk Water Stewardship Program

Baker & Baker has become the first UK bakery business to support a water stewardship collective action project that falls under the WRAP Water Roadmap.

According to Nicholas Bevan, director for Sustainability for Baker & Baker, the bakery manufacturer is wholeheartedly placing its support behind the project with financial support earmarked for the next three year. Ultimately, it expects a fruitful ROI (return of investment) in the years to come.

“This project will have a direct and positive impact on the sourcing of some of our key raw materials for a range of our bakery products, and so we’re particularly pleased to have identified a project that has such relevancy for our business,” said Bevan.

The project – encompassing Norfolk, East Anglia and the Cam and Ely Ouse (CamEO) – aims to identify farming initiatives across the region that improve water retention, reduce runoff, protect soils, enhance biodiversity and improve the resiliency of the surrounding environment.

This will be achieved via engagement with farmers and the implementation of appropriate management plans and interventions, which will ultimately seek to improve crop yields and quality over the short and longer term.

The Norfolk and CamEO region has also been internationally recognized for its rare habitats and species, underlining the importance of its preservation.

Baker & Baker sources a number of key raw ingredients both directly and indirectly from the region, including cereals and sugar beet.

The manufacturer will also be sharing details of the project with its core suppliers that operate within this geographical area with an eye to ramping up action.

WRAP’s water roadmap

Baker & Baker’s support for this collective action project represents one strand of its support for WRAP’s Water Roadmap, which requires food and drink businesses to set water-related targets, report on progress and invest in collective action to address water risk in their supply chain.

To date, 66 businesses have committed to the Water Roadmap.

The Norfolk, CamEO and Broadlands project is led by Norfolk Rivers Trust and is co-funded by a number of retailers and suppliers.

The project works with horticulture sector, along with pig and poultry farmers, to deliver practical on-farm measures that improve water retention, reduce runoff, protect soils, enhance biodiversity and improve the resilience of the surrounding water environment.

“We’re proud to support the Norfolk and CamEO water stewardship project, and we are looking forward to collaborating with stakeholders in the region in the years to come,” said Bevan.

Added Vicky Pudner, senior specialist at WRAP, “It’s fantastic to have the backing of Baker & Baker for this project.

“Our Water Roadmap – which sets out a vision and key pathways to address the challenges we collectively face in protecting critical water resources for food supply, for nature and for local communities – relies on the collaboration and participation from our members.”

Ultimately, she emphasized, “Without water, there is no food. It’s a resource which needs our protection.”