Parma Ham Invests in Sustainability and Ecological Transition

Following Parma Ham's two-year investment in sustainability, its producers can optimise performance whilst at the same time reducing their environmental impact.

The Parma Ham Consortium reports that it is strengthening its commitment to the sustainability of its producers by activating participation in the Made Green in Italy scheme for Parma Ham. 

The culmination of an initiative launched back in 2022; the programme achieves the stated goal of defining an environmental policy that supports Parma Ham producers by optimising their sustainability. 

The Parma PDO protection body collaborated with highly qualified partners of recognised authority: the Politecnico di Milano who led the implementation of the project, Enersem who developed the software and research, and CSQA, who championed the verification of the project.

Over the course of over two years, the partners calculated the environmental footprint of Parma Ham by applying the Product Environmental Footprint (PEF) methodology, a tool made available by the European Commission to Parma Ham and other products to assess the environmental impact of Parma Ham production. 

This research was made possible thanks to the involvement and active participation of producers under the Prosciutto di Parma Consortium (validated by the CSQA Certification Body).

As a result, the Consortium was qualified to activate the Made Green in Italy scheme for Parma Ham. The Ministry of Environment and Energy Security (MASE) created this national certification scheme to evaluate the environmental footprint of Made in Italy products and recognize those of high environmental quality. Participation in the scheme is voluntary.

During the project a software was created for calculating and reducing environmental footprints, technology used to optimise the performance of the entire production cycle. Producers can receive customised improvement indications which will aid in reducing their environmental footprint, as well as a report on their environmental performance. 

Alessandro Utini, President of the Parma Ham Consortium told That's Food and Drink: "The value of a product as unique as Parma Ham is also measured by its consistency with consumer needs and with the challenges of a rapidly changing world. The indissoluble bond that our Protected Designation of Origin has with its territory strengthens our commitment to minimise the impact generated by our production, which is why we are particularly proud to have conducted this project together with the Politecnico di Milano, Enersem and CSQA.”

For more information, please visit www.prosciuttodiparma.com or follow Parma Ham on Twitter and Instagram. 

Aldi to back nationwide clean beach project

The Aldi supermarket company is backing the Marine Conservation Society’s Beachwatch programme with a very helpful £50,000 in sponsorship.

As a result, Aldi has become the biggest corporate funder of the Marine Conservation Society’s beach cleaning and litter survey project, Beachwatch, which aims to support over 15,000 volunteers to participate in 1,200 local beach cleans over the coming year.

And what's more, Aldi colleagues are eager and ready to join the thousands of volunteers across the UK with an overall target to remove in excess of half a million (500,000) items of litter.

Aldi’s support for the project will be launched in Brighton on 26th September, with further beach cleans taking place throughout 2024.

Liz Fox, who is Aldi's Sustainability Director in the UK, said: “We are really pleased to be able to support the Marine Conservation Society to create positive change for the UKs seas.

“We're obviously aware that making significant changes does take time, but through our commitments we are working towards improving the environment for everyone.”

Katherine Stephenson, who is the Director of Fundraising at the Marie Conservation Society, added: “We’re obviously delighted to have the support of Aldi and we can’t wait to get out on the beach with their team and members of the public, too.

“Our partnership with Aldi means we now have the capability to undertake beach cleans year-round and collect valuable data that makes a big difference in keeping our seas safer for people, wildlife and for our future generations.”

To learn more about the Marine Conservation Society’s Beachwatch programme and volunteer at your local beach clean, visit:  https://www.mcsuk.org/what-you-can-do/join-a-beach-clean

Last year, 2022, Aldi UK partnered with Project UK, an initiative dedicated to fostering a sustainable future for UK fisheries, with a focus on protecting ecosystems, habitats and endangered species.