The environment
Low food miles
The fact Cranstons exists to champion locally farmed meats and locally made produce makes us a very low food mile enterprise.
The local nature of our beef, lamb, pork and chicken supply and our commitment to using local abattoirs means our meat typically travels less than 50 miles from field to shop. Find out more about our meat sourcing here
Our four local produce food halls have over 50 Cumbrian food and drink suppliers so our bought-in goods are predominantly produced right on our door step.
Plastic
We are working hard to reduce our use of plastic, and the waste it creates. Over the last 12 months we have made significant changes and are continuing make progress with eliminating single-use plastics.
What we have done so far:
Hot counter + takeaway food
- Introduced a 20p discount for those who bring their own reusable cups for hot drinks
- Phasing out plastic tubs and replacing them with a recyclable cardboard alternative
- Moved from plastic cutlery to wooden cutlery
- Changed black plastic pre-packed salad trays to a recyclable cardboard alternative. The lids are clear plastic but these are easily recyclable!
Butchery
- Introduced our bring your own container scheme
- Replaced black pre-pack containers with a clear plastic alternative – improving the ease of recycling for domestic users
Fruit & Veg
- Produce packed in store is now packed onto a recyclable cardboard tray
- Added paper bags
Store cupboard items
- Introduced a loose dry goods area in our flagship food hall
- Improved the eco credentials of our hamper packaging
Shopping bags
- Introduced a durable paper carrier bag as an alternative to our plastic bag for life (please note our plastic bag is made from recycled bottles and can be recycled)
What we’re looking to change next
- We are speaking to our packaging suppliers to try and find a viable alternative to our polystyrene trays our sausage is packaged in
- We plan to offer a cardboard box alternative to the plastic pots we use for our pick and mix salad bars
Energy efficiency
We take every opportunity to improve the energy efficiency throughout our business. Refrigeration equipment produces waste heat, a large proportion of this is recovered and used to heat the water in our production unit. As other equipment becomes redundant or is required on new projects we take great care to specify energy saving equipment such as LED lights and light sensors.
Recycling
We make the effort to recycle packaging that is able to be recycled. Where we can, we will use packaging that is made from recycled materials such as bottles and card.