Environmental Social & Governance
Adopting ESG principles means that corporate strategy focuses on the three pillars of the environment, social, and governance - we have four! This means taking measures to lower pollution, CO2 output, and reduce waste. It also means having a diverse and inclusive workforce, at the entry-level and all the way up to the board of directors.
The future matters and we want to be part of change - and we are!
Sustainability & Social Responsibility at Secret Smokehouse:
As a family run business, we are always looking for new and inventive ways to conduct our business in a way that is sustainable. We are flexible and can pivot to do the best we can at any point, considering what is practically possible.
Our Four Pillars
We have four sustainability and social responsibility pillars: People, Product, Packaging and Planet. These drive our commitment to doing more things, more often to create long-lasting change, with the help of our suppliers, employees and customers.
1] PEOPLE
When all’s said and done, our success comes down to the magic of our people. Without their diversity, talent and support, we simply wouldn’t be where we are today. It is these areas which will underpin our sustainability and legacy for innovation and creativity in the future.
- Inclusion & Diversity:
Secret Smokehouse is proud to have an incredibly diverse workforce. We believe in attracting a broad range of talent and in embracing individuality, and our ambition is to cultivate and enable a culture of respect - where people are empowered to succeed, difference is valued and everyone can be themselves. We continuously collect feedback from our teams to identify what more we can do to drive an inclusive culture and to celebrate the diversity of our teams with a focus on multiculturalism.
- Talent of Tomorrow:
We are developing a programme that embraces an ever-growing list of disciplines, providing numerous routes for people to fuel their careers.
- Recognition & Celebration:
We will implement and recognise those who have excelled in living our values with the Secret Smokehouse Values Awards. The awards will be introduced to celebrate individual achievements on an even greater level, shine light on exceptional service, outstanding contribution, and pioneering and positive change.
2] PRODUCT
At Secret Smokehouse we make and select the best possible products, and work hard to ensure that they are socially and ethically sourced. That’s a principle we honour across our entire business. We champion artisan products, seek out the finest materials and ingredients, and strive for sustainable production and quality at every turn.
- No to Palm-Oil:
Since we started we have said no to any food products containing sustainable palm-oil under our brand. This goes for farmed fish feed as well.
- GM Free-Food:
Again, since 2016 all products are free from genetically modified ingredients, and we strive to monitor all our suppliers to ensure this is maintained.
- Farmed Fish:
We are 100% committed to sourcing alternatives to open net farmed fish where possible and a viable solution. To learn more about how we are the first in the UK to source land-reared Through-Flow Systems [click here] salmon.
Supporting Craft:
We work with numerous British suppliers, who practice traditional and artisan methods of craft and production, celebrating the skills that have been honoured over many years.
3] PACKAGING
Ever since we packed our very first order back in 2016 from our arch in Hackney, re-use has remained at the core of Secret Smokehouse principles. We continue to challenge ourselves to rethink areas of our business where the packaging could work harder and smarter to reduce the impact on the environment. We encourage our customers to recycle where possible. For a comprehensive, jargon-free, practical guide on how you can recycle more and where you can recycle your waste, please visit www.recyclenow.com.
- Phasing Out Single-Use Plastic:
We’ve removed all but very small amount of single-use plastic from our products. We have replaced our bags with chlorine-free paper ones, we replaced plastic tape with paper and continue to look at every element to do what we can that's viable for us as a small business.
- Recyclable Packaging:
Currently 85% of our packaging is recyclable - the current gold boards are not as but we are committed to finding a solution that is viable and doesn't compromise food safety - any ideas then do let us know. 100% of our postal packaging [boxes, tape, sleaves, insulation & ice packs], are recyclable and made in the UK.
4] PLANET
Decreasing our reliance on the planet’s resources has never been more critical. That’s why we’re putting our waste to good use, increasing our recycling facilities, and making every effort to help clean up the impact we make on the environment.
- Pollution Reduction:
In 2016 we were one of the first smokehouse businesses in the UK to use an all-electric zero emission van to do 100% of our deliveries here in London. We then worked very closely with Hackney council as part of the pilot scheme for lamppost charging, today it is all over the UK. We also use 100% renewable electricity supplied by Octopus.
- A Positive Use for Food Waste:
We use every element of food waste we can making products.
