Golden Acre Foods, the UK grocery distributor and B-Corp certified business, has agreed to continue its support for global charity The Ocean Foundation with a significant financial donation as part of its commitment to tackle climate change. By the end of 2024, Golden Acre will have donated over £1 million to support The Ocean Foundation’s mission to improve global ocean health, climate resilience and the blue economy.
Golden Acre started discussions with The Ocean Foundation in 2021 with a view to making a real difference in its environmental sustainability plans. The aim was to find the most efficient way to absorb carbon, enhance habitats and to be copyable by others as climate awareness grows. Support began through the ‘Blue Resilience Initiative (BRI)’ in Puerto Rico, one of the most affected areas of ocean in the world. The BRI works to support coastal community resilience by restoring and conserving coastal habitats like seagrasses, mangroves, coral reefs, seaweeds, and salt marshes.
As well as having a positive environmental impact, the Ocean Foundation’s work has a strong social and economic impact. For every $1 invested in coastal restoration projects and restoration jobs, $15 in net economic benefit is created from reviving, expanding or increasing the health of seagrass meadows, mangrove forests or saltmarshes (Source: Center for American Progress and Oxfam Report, 2014).
Through Golden Acre’s support, The Ocean Foundation is able to restore habitats that have been lost through overfishing, climate change and pollution. A single acre of seagrass may support as many as 40,000 fish and 50 million small vertebrates like crabs, oysters and mussels (Source: Smithsonian Institution). Seagrass meadows supply 50% of the world’s fisheries and provide vital nutrition for close to three billion people (Source: IUCN (resources)). Crucially, the mangroves can sequester carbon at a rate up to 10 times faster than forests.
Comments Neale Powell-Cook, managing director of Golden Acre Foods:
“We all have a combined responsibility to look after our oceans for the future of mankind and our planet. As a food and drink business with dealings across the world, we’re proud to support The Ocean Foundation with a significant ongoing investment and for this investment to have such an exciting impact. The project work it is undertaking is vital to improving carbon sequestration in the ocean, increasing biodiversity and supporting local communities. Our donations ensure The Ocean Foundation is able to continue its pioneering research, restoration of a key coastal ecosystem and undertake large-scale mangrove restoration.
“We know that tackling climate change is not something any one person, or one organisation, can tackle alone. Somehow we all have to radically change the ways in which we live and work in order to achieve the sharp emissions reductions that are needed.”
Golden Acre Foods has committed to reducing its emissions per tonne of product sold by 50% by 2030 and by 90% by 2040. It has committed to the science-based carbon initiative.
As part of its desire to make a difference, Golden Acre Foods supports over 20 different charities addressing both environmental and social issues.
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