Aerial view of forest

Sustainability report

Sustainability highlights 2022-2023

CO2 emissions
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523kt
29.8% reduction from 2019 baseline
Employee engagement score
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63%
7% above UK average
Lost time injury rate
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0.32
Improved from 0.39
Plastics recycling capacity
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167kt
Up from 151kt
Surplus waste prevention
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41kt
Increased from 35kt
Headshot of Michael Topham
Behind our sustainability achievements, there are lots of smaller steps we take to make them happen. We cannot do it alone; partnerships with innovative organisations who are committed to change, have helped to deliver some of the most exciting results this year. 
Michael Topham
Biffa CEO

Sustainability strategy

Our strategy is based on three strategic pillars:

Strategic Pillars

Strategic Ambitions

Targets to 2030

Alignment to UN SDGs

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  • Strategic Pillars

    Enabling a circular economy

    Strategic Ambitions

    Unlock £1.25bn of investment in green economy by 2030

    Targets to 2030

    • Leading in surplus redistribution
    • Quadrupling our plastics recycling
    • Investing in low carbon energy from waste

    Alignment to UN SDGs

    Hover to scale

  • Strategic Pillars

    Tackling climate change

    Strategic Ambitions

    Having reduced emissions by 70% since 2002, we will deliver a further 50% reduction by 2030

    Targets to 2030

    • 50% reduction in carbon emissions
    • Cease buying fossil-fuelled trucks
    • Increase collection route efficiency by 20%

    Alignment to UN SDGs

    Hover to scale

Biffa employee in facility
Sustainable for our business, sustainable for our customers
Biffa has the scale, expertise, and facilities to help businesses, large and small, play a role in the circular economy, be more sustainable and create value from waste. From surplus food distribution to plastics recycling, from investment in energy recovery infrastructure as a lower carbon alternative to landfill, to efficient collections of separate waste streams, we have innovated and invested in new facilities and capabilities. We are helping customers waste less and save more, whilst simultaneously increasing their contribution to the local community’s socio-economic wellbeing and resilience.
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Biffa CEO speaking at event alongside panel
Navigating policy change
We operate at the heart of the UK’s circular economy, physically handling the materials the UK no longer uses. We see first-hand the impact of sustainability legislation and support our customers where we can in understanding and getting ready for the evolving legislative landscape.
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Customer with basket
Reduce waste
Extending the useful life of products benefits the environment by reducing the need to source additional materials. Similarly, by extending food and other waste products’ life through redistribution, manufacturing companies can achieve lower emissions and lower their waste management costs.

By reducing, or preventing items from entering the disposal cycle, we can reduce the environmental impacts of raw material extraction and land-use related to material production, and minimise carbon emissions associated with both production and disposal.
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Across the country we have 14 Company Shop Group (CSG) surplus food outlets and 12 Community Shops, which sell redistributed products at discounted prices. This year through CSG we redistributed 109 million products. This prevented 41,445 tonnes of food fit for consumption from going to waste and in doing so avoided 103,000 tonnes of carbon dioxide from being emitted.

Company Shop worker stacking shelves
Company Shop staff
West_Sussex_Reuse_Shop

West Sussex Re-use Shop

Download the case study to find out how Biffa and West Sussex County Council are working together to rescue waste items still fit for reuse or repair.
Download (1.11 MB)
Cardboard box with product inside

Substitutes & alternatives

Download the case study relating to the increase in demand for packaging through the growth of web retail shopping.
Download (512.37 KB)
Biffa truck in Birmingham location
Collect efficiently
Our alternative fuels vehicle strategy is a key component of our efforts to transition our diesel collection fleet to more sustainable options. The successful adoption of 120 electric or Hydrotreated Vegetable Oil (HVO) vehicles in our fleet represents a significant step towards reducing emissions and adopting cleaner transportation.

We have started to convert our collections fleet away from diesel towards alternative fuels and continue to explore a range of options to help us deliver our target to purchase no more diesel-fuelled vehicles beyond 2030. Since the launch of our sustainability strategy, our M&A activity and improved route mapping has led to the removal of 56 diesel vehicles from our fleet, saving of 1,600t CO2e per year.
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Biffa Lunaz clean truck
Biffa Lunaz electric refuse vehicle

We have taken positive steps taken towards greening the fleet, with the introduction of the UK's largest fleet of eRCVs in both our I&C and Municipal divisions, and the expansion of our fleet of electric vans during 2022-2023. Earlier in 2023, we also signed up to a trial with Lunaz Group to upcycle old fossil fuelled trucks and make them electric, reducing emissions by both extending the lifecycle of our vehicles and going electric.

By focusing on compaction mode and optimising collection routes, we achieved a 7% increase in collection route efficiencies in 2022-2023. A rerouting exercise, in conjunction with the integration of acquisitions, has streamlined operations and resulted in significant environmental benefits, saving approximately 1,400 tonnes of CO2e emissions annually.

Biffa truck on road
Biffa waste refuse vehicle
Biffa Lunaz clean truck

Lunaz partnership

Download our case study on our partnership to upcycle Biffa vehicles and transition away from fossil-fuelled vehicles.
Download (944.88 KB)
Biffa Redcar facility
Recycle more
As a company committed to environmental stewardship, we recognise the important role recycling plays in a world where materials are not wasted and carbon emissions are reduced.

Our investments in recycling technologies and our commitment to innovation have elevated our recycling capabilities and therefore not only reinforce our own sustainability goals, but also empower our customers to achieve theirs.
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Investment in our recycling facilities to date has increased our plastics recycling capacity to 167,000 tonnes a year. Our target is to quadruple our plastic recycling capacity by 2030.  
Polymers processing at Seaham
Biffa Seaham facility
Crowd at festival

Supporting sustainability and recycling at events

Learn more about how Biffa supports events to foster a culture of environmental responisbility encouraging recycling.
Download (22.89 MB)
Buxton water bottle

Helping to close the loop on Buxton water bottles

Download our case study on how our partnership has reduced the amound of virgin PET plastic used in the water bottles.
Download (221.84 KB)
Plastic chair on leaves

Bulky plastics with West Sussex

Download the case study on how we're supporting West Sussex County Council to increase the recycling of mixed rigid plastics.
Download (1.62 MB)
Newhurst energy recovery facility
Recover more
Energy recovery from waste is the process of generating energy in the form of electricity and/or steam from the combustion of non-recyclable residual waste. It diverts residual waste from landfill reducing harmful methane emissions. Newhurst Energy Recovery Facility started receiving residual waste in October 2022. By December the plant had processed 24k tonnes of residual waste and generated around 12Mw of power. Full scale operations commenced in June 2023, while Protos is progressing towards its planned commercial operation in 2024.

Working with customers to avoid food waste creation is a priority for Biffa and diverting surplus food and goods via Company Shop is a key part of this work. There is inevitably some food which is not fit for human or animal consumption and other organic waste which still needs to be collected and dealt with, and this is where our recovery processes, including Anaerobic Digestion (AD), play a significant role.
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Public laughing in garden
Caring for our people, supporting our communities
We have a team of more than 10,000 colleagues committed to Biffa’s purpose of changing the way people think about waste. Our people deliver essential waste services to homes and businesses across the country.

We also believe it's important to ‘give back’ to the communities in which we operate and the work we do through Community Shop, Biffa Award, WasteAid, schools education and biodiversity programmes allows us to do this. 
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At Biffa, nothing is more important than the health and safety of our people, contractors, and the public we serve. Our focus is always on reducing the likelihood and severity of workplace harm.
In a hazardous industry, effective management systems are vital – which is why our Integrated Management System ensures we fully comply with the requirements of the rigorous international standard, ISO45001. 

Our colleagues’ mental health and wellbeing is a priority for Biffa and we continued to encourage colleagues to consider and look after their health, whilst providing them with the tools to be able to do so including our Emotions, Nutrition, Exercise, Rest, Goals and You (E.N.E.R.G.Y.) programme, teams of mental health first aiders, and family friendly policies.  

Male employee next to Biffa vehicle
Biffa worker and vehicle
Female operative in vehicle
Female operator in vehicle
Throughout the year, we marked numerous days and celebrations to champion Diversity & Inclusion, from religious festivals such as Vaisakhi and Passover, to awareness initiatives such as International Women’s Day and Black History Month. We also updated our Diversity Policy to a Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DE&I) policy, and established a Diversity Steering Group to shape the DE&I strategy, create action plans and champion DE&I throughout their business areas.  We also developed and delivered diversity training and a toolbox talk for front line employees.
 

Through Company Shop Group’s ‘Community Hubs’, employability programmes and Progress Academies, we are building the work skills and confidence of young or more marginalised people, to help them into jobs. In 2022-2023, 28,186 households supported this year through Community Shop with 96% of members feeling their sense of community had improved.

We are also proud of our biodiversity programmes, which is why we have set a target to manage 30% of our estate to biodiversity. Further contributing to the enhancement of our communities and the environment is our Biffa Award funding programme. In 2023 Biffa Award celebrated its 25th Anniversary, with a total of £189 million allocated to community and environmental projects across the UK since its launch, and over £4.5 million awarded this year alone.  

We have been proud partners of WasteAid for the last 4 years. During our partnership we have supported their many global waste management projects, providing vital waste management facilities as well as supporting education and training. In May 2022 we held our first ever Gala Dinner, raising an incredible £104,000 for WasteAid.
 
Chefs laughing
Community Shop kitchen

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Latest reports

Sustainability Report 2023

Report sections

Sustainability Report 2023 Sustainability Strategy

Sustainability Report 2023 Navigating Policy Change

Sustainability Report 2023 Collect Efficiently

Sustainability Report 2023 Reduce Waste

Sustainability Report 2023 Recover More

Sustainability Report 2023 Recycle More

Sustainability Report 2023 People & Communities

Sustainability Report SASB Content Index

Sustainability Report Independent Assurance Statement

Biffa Emissions Data 2023

Previous reports

Sustainability Report FY22 - Full Version

Sustainability Report FY22 - Summary Version

Sustainability Report FY21

Sustainability Strategy 2020

Annual Report & Accounts FY22