Small steps towards a more sustainable future.
At Whittaker’s, we strive to do what we do in a good, honest way. And that applies to the steps we have been taking to measure, audit and reduce our carbon emissions.
We’re proud to share that we have recently completed our carbon measurement for a second year following our baseline measure, and the results show our carbon intensity (how much carbon we emit per 250g chocolate we make) has reduced. While it is a small reduction, the results are meaningful as they show the initiatives we have put in place are working. And with these latest results, we can begin planning the next steps on our journey to reduce our impact even further.
“This is just the beginning, but we’re really pleased to already be seeing a reduction in our carbon intensity - even if it is small to start with,” says Holly Whittaker, our co-Chief Operating Officer.
“We’re on a mission to become a zero-waste to landfill company and are continuously working to reduce our impact on the planet. It's not always a straight line - there are challenges and twists along the way – and we have a lot of work to do, but we know that taking the time to get it right will make a real difference in the long run,” says Holly.
How our footprint compares year on year
In 2024, we measured our carbon footprint over a full year to set a baseline that we can track ourselves against annually. That results showed that per 250g of chocolate, we produced 2.102kg of carbon emissions.
That number reduced in our latest measurement from 2025, to 2.074 kg of carbon emissions per 250g of chocolate. We had our measurement independently audited and certified, and have retained our Ekos Carbon Conscious Certification.
Put simply: for every 250g of chocolate we make, we’re now emitting less carbon.
The initiatives making a difference
There has been a lot of work happening across our business to help achieve this reduction. This includes our New Zealand sales team continuing their transition to electric vehicles to reduce fuel use. In addition, we have now completed the electrification of our forklifts at the factory.
The journey so far has also included focusing on waste reduction initiatives, like washing our hairnets so they can be used more than once, and recycling the pails that nut pastes come in, rather than sending them to landfill.
While we are very proud of the progress to date, we’re still in the early stages of our journey and have a lot more work to do. We will keep you updated along the way!
Why better data matters
The reduction we have seen is also a result of improvements to the quality of how we measure our footprint, investing in new tools and a more detailed emissions database.
“Data can sound boring, but we’re actually really excited about the changes we’ve made to help us better capture the important numbers,” says Sam Eathorne, co-lead of Whittaker’s carbon measurement team. “Unless you have that granularity and confidence in the data you’re working with, it becomes really difficult to actually capture the improvements you’re making.”
One example of this is the work our logistics team have done to track the routes our inwards freight travels on more accurately, which resulted in reduced emissions profile for inwards freight.
Further than this, we’ve invested in product lifecycle measurement software, which allows us to drill down as far as looking at a single product’s footprint. So, if for example we’re comparing new sustainable packaging options, we can make more informed decisions on the emissions profile of different types of materials and formats.
Where emissions increased and why
While we’re pleased to see an overall reduction in our carbon emissions, not every area moved in the direction we would like, and it’s important to be open about that.
For example, we used more electricity that year due to some operational changes. We also improved the completeness of our staff commute data, which resulted in a higher reported emissions profile for commuting.
Where to next?
Taking steps to track and reduce our carbon footprint is part of our wider sustainability efforts.
We’re proud of the progress we’ve made so far, and we know there’s more work ahead. Keep an eye on our website for updates on our journey.