Tan Y Castell, a family-run bakery business based in Narberth which specialises in baking traditional Welsh recipes by hand, has won an award for its “ambitious” plan to reduce its carbon emissions.

The company won the ‘Best medium size business carbon reduction plan’ award as part of a Business Wales programme designed to help Welsh businesses achieve Net Zero.

Tan Y Castell's award-winning products - which include Welsh cakes, shortbread and bara brith - are available from most major supermarkets, with other customers including national wholesalers, county councils, rail companies, food service providers, airports, hotels, and high-end motor companies. 

The Pembrokeshire company joined seven other businesses receiving intensive support to help measure their baseline carbon emissions and develop emission reduction plans to achieve Net Zero by 2050. This support included specialist workshops, a dedicated Masters student intern placed in each business and specialist coaching from leading sustainability experts. 

The Carbon Emission Reduction Pilot Programme Awards took place on Tuesday, March 14, to celebrate the achievements of the businesses participating in the programme.

An independent panel of sustainability experts judged the awards, chaired by Jonny Tench, the private sector lead advisor for the Future Generations Commissioner for Wales. Presenters at the awards included Robert Lloyd-Griffiths OBE, Chair of Business Wales Task and Finish Group and Director for the ICAEW in Wales, and Dr Fern Davies, Senior Lecturer in strategy and corporate social responsibility, and the Sustainability Lead for Swansea University School of Management. 

Commenting on their award win, Vanessa Mear, Head of Human Resources at Tan Y Castell, said:

“As a small business, we wanted to reduce carbon emissions but needed support to develop a realistic and detailed plan. This programme was hugely helpful and designed to help businesses like ours meet the challenge ahead. The workshops were helpful and informative and having a mentor working with us kept us focused on our goals. Most importantly, having an intern working with us was brilliant, as it provided us with additional capacity and the specialist knowledge we needed to benchmark our emissions.”

Chair of Judges, Jonny Tench, commented:

“Inspired by the Well-Being of Future Generations of Wales Act, these businesses are joining many others across Wales in making the nation a better place to live and work. Welsh Government has ambitious plans for Wales to become net zero by 2050, and businesses have a crucial role to play if we are to meet that ambition. 

“We were so impressed by the commitment and drive all businesses have shown in developing their ambitious carbon reduction plans. We wish to congratulate the deserving winners and recognise the achievements of all eight companies who completed the programme. We look forward to seeing how they progress against their plans and working with Business Wales to share the valuable lessons from this programme more widely.”

Richard Morris, Programme Director for the Accelerated Growth Programme, said:

“We have been blown away by the commitment our Carbon Emission Reduction Programme participants have shown over the last three months. We have packed an enormous amount into a short time and have been so impressed by the dedication and tenacity of the companies in developing their ambitious carbon reduction plans.”

The Carbon Emission Reduction Programme was launched to support the Welsh Government's Net Zero Wales Plan, which outlines the commitment to achieving net zero and a greener, stronger, fairer Wales. 

The Business Wales Accelerated Growth Programme Carbon Emission Reduction Programme has seen eight businesses participate in a three-month immersive programme, partly funded by the European Regional Development Fund through the Welsh Government.

Business Wales supports new entrepreneurs, micro-businesses and SMEs to embed sustainable development practices in the fabric of their venture. This helps Welsh businesses exploit new opportunities, take proactive steps to realise the benefits of resource and energy efficiency, and join a growing community of forward-thinking organisations working towards a zero-carbon future.

Business Wales offers a wide range of advice and support on green policies, practices and resource efficiency, as well as workshops. One-to-one advice includes energy efficiency, waste management, pollution prevention, legal issues and permits, environmental management systems and funding sources.Resource Efficiency Advisers are available to support businesses in adopting or improving environmental strategies and work with companies towards creating a resource-efficient and resilient business. Advisors provide a range of advice, such as using fewer raw materials to reduce the risk of material scarcity, driving innovation and resilience, and helping businesses reach new markets.In 2022, Business Wales launched a Green Ambition campaign to help businesses to improve their knowledge and understanding of resource efficiency.  The campaign encourages businesses to take action to mitigate their impact on climate change and supports the Welsh Government’s ambition towards a Net Zero economy.  The campaign provides easy access to digital content and interactive online events, including a Spotlight Speaker series.Since 2016, Business Wales has supported 4,490 businesses to adopt or improve environmental sustainability strategies, including the Green Growth Pledge. The Green Growth Pledge is part of the specialist sustainability support available through Business Wales and is open to all Welsh SMEs regardless of their industry sector. It provides a practical way for businesses to demonstrate their positive impact on the people and places around them and join a growing community of forward-thinking organisations. By signing the Green Growth Pledge, each business commits one or more actions to help them reduce impact or ensure sustainable performance.  Companies also access a marketing toolkit to provide practical information, guides and logos to help promote their actions to decarbonise and become more sustainable.