IPN partners with Leeds Beckett amid sustainability initiative
The partnership will capture where the energy use is within IPN’s supply chain, and apply data analysis techniques to determine which areas IPN need to prioritise to gain the ‘biggest’ energy savings
Inspired Pet Nutrition (IPN) has partnered with academic experts at Leeds Beckett University on a new project to audit and reduce the carbon emissions of its full supply chain.
The partnership is a two-year Knowledge Transfer Partnership (KTP) programme which will use a Carbon Footprint Evaluation Model to ensure IPN achieves its net zero carbon goal by 2030.
Part-funded by the government through Innovate UK, the KTP will begin with the recruitment of a full-time KTP associate (an experienced graduate) who will lead the project, and be embedded as a full-time member of the IPN team for the duration of the two-year project.
The team will capture where the energy use is within IPN’s supply chain, and apply data analysis techniques to monitor and evaluate this, and determine which areas IPN need to prioritise to gain the “biggest” energy savings. The techniques will be developed throughout the project to include AI and machine learning.
IPN said this value chain evaluation will enable the business to make strategic decisions about its choice of ingredients and suppliers. It added that a key part of the project will be to work with smaller suppliers to assist them in measuring their own carbon emissions and become more sustainable.
Knowledge Transfer Partnerships (KTPs) aim to help businesses to improve competitiveness and productivity through the better use of knowledge, technology and skills within the UK knowledge base.
IPN is a UK-based manufacturer of dry pet food, including sustainable brands in the UK such as Harringtons and Wagg. The aim of the project is for IPN to become the first UK pet food manufacturer to analyse its supply chain sustainability.
Christopher Gorse, researcher in the Leeds Sustainability Institute (LSI) at Leeds Beckett and project leader, said: “IPN are a very progressive company – not many companies are doing so much to commit to achieving net zero carbon, and really look at their supply chain and work with people outside of their organisation to make energy savings.”
Will Bushell, head of Marketing – Dog Business Unit of IPN, added: “We believe the key to developing more sustainable business practices is data. By better understanding the environmental impact of our full supply chain, we will be able to set better targets, make better decisions and measure their impact more effectively.”
