What’s the latest sustainability buzz at Kellogg Company’s Manchester plant and Talbot Road offices in the U.K.?
Honeybees!
A few months ago, the plant was about to launch its sustainability plan, “Healthy People, Healthy Plant, and Healthy Planet”, which spelled out how team members there would meet their 2020 sustainability commitments.
Amid discussions around supporting local biodiversity and other sustainability projects, someone suggested raising honeybees at the two plant locations.
After all, honeybees are essential to the health of our ecosystem, and vital to the world’s agricultural economy. The global honeybee population is in decline, which affects many parts of the food cycle worldwide.
What’s more, honeybees have very strong ties to the Manchester plant:
- Honey is used in many Kellogg products produced there.
- The worker bee has long represented the City of Manchester as its official symbol, in its coat of arms, as well as other local landmarks.
- There is no better symbol for teamwork and commitment than a hive full of hardworking honeybees.
Kellogg partnered with Plan Bee, a U.K. company that establishes and manages on-site honeybee hives for businesses seeking unique ways to enhance the environment. Kellogg team members regularly suit up in protective beekeeping gear and provide hands-on help with the beehive activity – resulting in a rather unique “return on investment”:
- The bees produce a high yield of honey.
- Plan Bee harvests the honey for the Manchester plant and Talbot Road offices.
- The honey serves as a gift for plant visitors and people who support their sustainability action plan.
What’s next? An on-site bee meadow to be planted at the Manchester plant, as a legacy of Kellogg Company’s ongoing commitment to sustainability – making a lasting, positive difference on the environment.
