Angela Veljanoska
Monash University
Gitanjali Bedi
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Goodman Fielder was established as a small milling company associated with wheat back in 1909 when wheat was gradually becoming a fundamental source of producing flour and was sold to general communities in New South Wales and Queensland. Nearly more than a century later, the organization now focuses on its core products including baking, dairy, flour, cake mix, dressings, and spreads. Goodman Fielder has invested into further branches, including Pampas; where its factories are located in West Footscray.
Goodman Fielder and Pampas pride themselves as a business that creates the best quality of bread, pastries, and cake mix for all consumers. Although these products are the primary items in the food industry, they are created in an innovative process that ensures sustainability and environmental awareness is a top priority. One of the ways of being a sustainable company is by turning food waste into a product that can become useful as another item, such as pet food. “What we try to do is to reduce landfill,” says Site Operations Manager Pasquale Gullone, “we need to consult with our waste providers and say, ‘We may generate this type of waste, are you able to process this and use it as pet food?’”. This statement can be applied to the twelfth UN Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) ‘Responsible consumption and production’ as the organization ensures that all ingredients are used efficiently and any excess becomes recycled into other food products, therefore reducing as much waste as possible in a responsible manner.
“The main mission statement is to provide products that our customers are going to enjoy, at the right price.” Aside from that principle of Goodman Fielder, environmental sustainability still maintains one of the top priorities for the organization. The company has a strong belief that driving environmental sustainability can broaden their vision in providing the best and efficient foods for customers.
According to the Goodman Fielder Health, Safety and Environment Policy, the essential goals for the organization include reducing energy and greenhouse gas use, decreasing consumption of water, eliminating waste and complying with environmental laws, and building community relationships (Goodman Fielder, 2019). By applying these environmental goals, the company provides support to certain SDGs including the ninth SDG, ‘Industries, innovation, and infrastructure’, as Goodman Fielder and Pampas can use the proper machinery and tools to produce products in a method that least disrupts the environment and community.
The teams that contribute to sustainable practice at Goodman Fielder:
“We always go through a process, and everybody signs off.” Organizations such as Goodman Fielder ensure that all employees in each department are involved in the decision-making process when coming across new projects or procedures, therefore providing opportunities for engagement between workers and management at the worksite. The company also ensures that suppliers are considered good, corporate citizens that can provide locally produced stock. “We want to make sure we are buying off good, credible suppliers. So, we make sure we audit all those suppliers before we buy products,” stated Mr. Gullone, also mentioning that the company does not receive its goods from third world countries that endorse child slavery or other forms of hard, unpaid labor.
The lifecycle of producing a product at Goodman Fielder begins with the research and development team developing prototypes for the product. The continuous improvement manager then ensures that the company has equipment and machinery that is guaranteed safe to generate the product, which is also performed by the technical manager. Once machinery and equipment are justified, the quality manager then measures the correct amount of raw materials that are to be implemented into the product and how it can impact on other items made at the workplace. Local suppliers that are certified in delivering top quality goods then contribute to the creation of the product, while Goodman Fielder is assured that the suppliers are locally produced and delivered effectively. The last, but one of the most important teams involved, is human resource management, which has a role in recruiting the right people to perform this chain of creating such products for the company.
“It’s about being a good corporate citizen.” Social responsibility remains as an upmost priority for Goodman Fielder, which can be seen through their critical packaging processes. “We try to reduce the amount of packaging we use every step of the way.” Packaging plays a large role in business due to the paper materials derived directly from the environment, which can disrupt biodiversity at large (Marsh & Bugusu, 2007). Goodman Fielder aims to ensure that its packaging program can minimize impacts on the environment when associated with manufacturing, transport, use, and disposal of materials (Goodman Fielder, 2019).
Another fundamental concern for Goodman Fielder and Pampas is the issue of palm oil, an ingredient that has been seen to cause harm to habitats and contributes to climate change (Kodas, 2014). “We make sure that we got people that audit our oil supplies and make sure it's sustainable. We make sure we are a part of the RSPO.” The RSPO (Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil) allows Goodman Fielder to handle responsible palm oil materials that do not directly affect sustainability for the organization and the environment. By completing this action, audits have been performed on oil supplies, ensuring that the materials are safe and have been certified to meet certain standards.
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Goodman Fielder was established as a small milling company associated with wheat back in 1909 when wheat was gradually becoming a fundamental source of producing flour and was sold to general communities in New South Wales and Queensland. Nearly more than a century later, the organization now focuses on its core products including baking, dairy, flour, cake mix, dressings, and spreads.