RCL FOODS, a leading food manufacturer in South Africa has been presented with an Environmental Certificate for Excellence in Sustainability from CHEP, recognising that the company has reduced its CO2 emissions by 56%, its wood usage by 71%, and its waste by 59% by using CHEP’s share-and-reuse pooling services in the last year. This is equivalent to saving 8420 trees in one year, 54 truck trips around the world and 219 truckloads of waste. 

RCL FOODS is one of the largest food manufacturers with more than 30 family favourite household brands. “We are delighted to have received this recognition,” said Paul Cruickshank, Group CEO, RCL FOODS. “CHEP’s pallets and platforms have improved efficiency for us, and they give us peace of mind that we’re minimising the environmental impact of our operations and aligns with our passion of doing more, more often. We are driven by a desire to improve peoples’ access to nourishing food while achieving a sustained business growth. Our partnership with CHEP allows us to protect our business environment and the communities in which we operate.”

Following the principles of the circular economy, CHEP platforms are rented to customers and then collected, inspected, repaired, and sent back out into the supply chain again. This creates a more efficient supply chain by reducing costs to customers and demands on natural resources. CHEP uses Life Cycle Analysis(LCA) to better understand their products environmental footprint and have commissioned a third - party independent expert, RCD Environment, to quantify the environmental benefits of the system. The LCA is a standardised, science-based tool for evaluating the environmental impact of a product through its life cycle including extraction and processing of the raw materials, manufacturing, distribution, use, recycling, and final disposal of product. CHEP pallets have the lowest environmental impact in all categories when compared to market alternatives.

“Sustainability is at the heart of our business. We pride ourselves in being an inherently sustainable business, and helping our customers make their supply chains better for the environment is one of our 2025 Sustainability Targets,” said Chris Perumal, FMCG Director, CHEP Sub-Saharan Africa. “We look forward to continue growing alongside RCL FOODS. We understand their needs and we’re well positioned to collaborate with them to meet those needs seamlessly and cost-effectively.” 

Hermann Haupt, Vice President, CHEP Sub-Saharan Africa added, “Serving our communities is also a common passion for both CHEP and RCL FOODS. We have partnered with RCL FOODS own non-profit organisation, the Do More Foundation which has the primary objective of helping drive community-based initiatives with two key pillars that is nourishing people and enriching communities. The collaboration between our companies demonstrates the shared vision for building a sustainable future and we will continue to strive to be a partner that contributes to developing the economy.”

CHEP and RCL FOODS collaboration efforts have proven to break the link between consumption and harm to the environment and society putting less strain on natural resources. The Environmental Certificate for Excellence in Sustainability recognizes RCL FOODS as a progressive, environmentally conscious business that is contributing towards a sustainable future.