Enriching lives in every way we can
For us, sustainability is about creating brighter and better futures for our local communities, and the planet, and building on the Teys family heritage for generations to come. The same family values that guided us to become the ever-evolving, global food brand we are today, remain at the core of everything we do and drive our approach to sustainability.
As we deliver on our promise to feed people and enrich lives across all of our communities, we are continuously improving our sustainability practices. We know minimising our environmental impacts isn’t only important to you, our industry and the future – it’s the right thing to do.
Our people lead the way
At Teys, we are lucky to have a dedicated team of experienced, environmental specialists leading the way for our business. Our team has backgrounds in engineering, economics, agriculture, energy and carbon management, and they work with our strong network of leading producers, partners, and stakeholders to make sure we are delivering results.
Across our entire supply chain, we are working together to put in place the best approach to improving environmental performance for our operations and our industry as a whole.
Our Five Year Goals
We know big goals produce big results. That is why we’ve introduced our 5-year resource efficiency targets. Set by our CEO, these keep us on track and make sure we are meeting the deliberate and specific goals we have set for ourselves to reduce our overall energy, water and waste outputs.
Reduce water
usage by 10%
Reduce carbon
usage by 20%
Source 30% of our
energy via renewables
Finding opportunities in our day-to-day operations
Reducing our environmental footprint, is not just about setting goals. We want to produce clear, positive results for our business and our communities. Our Utilities Reduction Program (URP) was designed to help us do just that.
Driven by our team, the program makes it easier for us to find new ways to reduce water, waste and energy across our everyday operations. From changing our behaviours and improving our power performance, to introducing recycled packaging – the URP makes sure we are investing in the right projects for a positive environmental impact wherever we can.
Our team installed a Waste Water Recycling System (WWRS) at our hide processing facility at Murgon that has not only helped reduce our water and waste, it’s turned them into assets.
Using the WWRS, this site now operates as a closed loop – capturing 100% of waste water and salt used in hide processing for treatment, recovery and reuse.
This has reduced water consumption by around 150,000 litres per week and improved the environment as we’ve stopped using treated wastewater for onsite irrigation.
Beyond this, the Murgon team also uses by-products from the system to produce compost soil conditioner. This reduces overall waste because everything that can be recycled is recycled.
Renewable energy is one of our biggest opportunities for reducing greenhouse gas emissions across our operations. That’s why we’ve made renewable energy projects a real focus across our business.
We have set ourselves the bold target of replacing 30% of our energy needs with renewable options by 2023, and we’re already investing in alternative energy sources wherever we can.
We’ve invested in industry-leading renewable energy and waste water treatment systems, and now have biogas systems fitted across five of our six processing plants. These significantly reduce our environmental impact by capturing emissions, offsetting fossil fuel use, and improving water quality for the receiving environment. Many of these systems have been recognised with environmental awards, including our Naracoorte biogas cogeneration system at the 2019 SA Premier’s Energy and Mining Awards.
We’re always looking for new ways to use renewables right across our entire supply chain. Our Condamine feedlot in Queensland generates almost half its power from a large scale solar installation fitted on site. Using a mix of ground and roof mounted solar, the 300kW system was the first of its kind. The solar farm offsets 50% of greenhouse gas emissions associated with grid electricity.
We’re serious about creating brighter and better futures for our communities and our planet, and we know we can have the biggest impact by exploring truly innovative, sustainable technologies.
Our Low Emissions Energy Hub (LEEH) project will combine five renewable energy technologies in one project at our Wagga Wagga facility.
Our goal is to make our Wagga site completely energy self-sufficient, and we hope that Project LEEH can act as a pilot program, not just for Teys, but for our wider industry.
Watch the video below to learn more about our LEEH project.
Applying our Environmental Policy and Environmental Management System (EMS) across our operations helps us align our efforts and track our performance beyond our legislative obligations. We know our customers are looking for a like minded partner that shares their values, so we’re transparent in our environmental monitoring, auditing, and sustainability reporting.
Securing a more sustainable future isn’t just about us – we want to help create positive change for our entire industry. Thanks to our strong supply chain, we know we have the resources and relationships to make a big difference, which is something we take very seriously.
As a member of the Australian Beef Sustainability Framework group, we’re helping our industry reduce its emissions by collaboratively sharing innovation and practices. Together, we’re moving towards our industry target of carbon neutrality by 2030.
Our Sustainability Awards
Energy Sector Innovation and Productivity Improvement Award
Energy and
Sustainability Award
Premier’s Award
Business
Eco-efficiency Award
Sustainable
Business Award
Excellence in
Sustainability Award