Spillers' Sustainability Strategy
In the equestrian world we can make many small changes that have a big impact on our environment, and it is important to know that these efforts are also supported by equestrian brands, as they also make their own efforts towards a more sustainable future. Our Winter Championship class sponsor SPILLERS champion reducing their impact on the environment, with a more sustainable path being taken in the manufacturing of their horse feeds.
Buying our horses their day-to-day feed is an important aspect of an equestrian life as a horse owner. We want to share with you the steps forward taken by SPILLERS with their own sustainability strategy, and the positive impact that will have on your own Carbon Footprint if you are a SPILLERS customer.
Locally sourced raw materials
At SPILLERS, 75% of the ingredients are sourced from within the UK with 50% of these raw materials sourced within 35 miles of their mill. With the aim to minimise using ingredients that could feed people, making use of the valuable fibre rich materials that are produced in the processing of food such as flour or oat milling. The oatfeed and wheatfeed produced in these processes can’t be used in the human food industry but provide nutritious ingredients for horses. Where they source ingredients from outside the UK, SPILLERS strive to minimise the impact on the planet, for example the soya meal used is sustainably sourced and supplied in line with a thorough certification programme.
97% of the ingredients in your favourite SPILLERS feeds are sustainable sourced!
Energy
The energy it takes to make all SPILLERS feed is provided by a wind farm in Moy, Scotland. With a capacity of 60 MW and an annual output of more than 125,000 megawatt-hours, the wind farm supplies renewable electricity to all Mars’ UK sites. The power generated is equal to 34,000 average U.K. households! In addition to this, all of the forklift trucks used are powered by electric, removing the reliance on fossil fuels.
SPILLERS also use gravity to reduce our energy consumption. The raw materials in the feed mill are put into silos located at the top of the plant. They are then ground, blended or flaked as they gradually move towards the ground, using gravity to power their journey.
Waste
There is a zero waste to landfill policy on SPILLERS' site (there are no ‘waste paper’ bins!), all our waste is collected and sorted into what is recyclable and what is not. Any material that is not recycled is used to generate energy, so no waste ends up in landfill.
Packaging
Packaging is an important component of all SPILLERS products, from keeping them safe in transportation, preserving their freshness to helping you choose which product is right for your horse. SPILLERS also understands the impact of packaging on our environment, which is why they plan to use 100 percent recyclable packaging by 2025.
To achieve that goal, they will change more than just the physical packaging, they will encourage horse owners to dispose of their packaging responsibly.
At SPILLERS, the fibre products are packaged in LDPE plastic, 30% of which is currently from recycled sources. Once you have finished your bag of SPILLERS fibre this too can be recycled, reducing our need to use virgin plastic.
LDPE recycling machines chew up the plastic into small pieces and then form them into pellets. These pellets can be turned into a variety of things and are often mixed with a bit of virgin LDPE to improve their strength and reliability. Black bin bags, black agricultural film, or irrigation pipe are all likely to be made from recycled LDPE. Commonly, recycled LDPE will be black because, with recycling plastics, it is easy to turn a clear plastic black, but impossible to turn a black plastic clear. Processing LDPE is among the easiest of the plastics, with the potential for injection moulding, rotational moulding, film blowing and blow moulding. It can be made anti-slip, anti-static, antibacterial and flame retardant.
Like HDPE plastics, many LDPE plastics are accepted through your local curbside recycling program. Just check with your Local Authority to ensure it is recycled in your area. If not, most large supermarkets and even some garden centres (as it’s the same plastic used for compost bags) accept LDPE plastics for recycling.
Of course, the paper bags (including those with a plastic liner) are recyclable too and can go with mixed household paper recycling curbside collection.
Mars Sustainable in a Generation Plan
The SPILLERS brand is owned by Mars and is aligned to the MARS™ Sustainable in a Generation Plan.
The plan addresses key areas of the United Nation’s Sustainable Development Goals and features ambitious goals informed by science. The plan focuses on three key areas — Healthy Planet, Thriving People and Nourishing Wellbeing.
