Go to work on a Respectful egg and start your day, the lighter and more eco-friendly way
There’s a new egg on the shelves of UK supermarkets and at its heart lies an ethos that respects the planet and acknowledges our collective responsibilities to protect it. Respectful champion the power of ‘small change’, offering our nation of egg lovers the choice to tread more lightly when it comes to their favourite kitchen staple.
Breakfast loving Brits consume a staggering 12.9 billion eggs on average per year and almost half of these are eaten for breakfast. Did you know that if we all replaced our morning scrambled, boiled, or fried eggs for carbon neutral Respectful eggs we’d save almost 15 million tonnes of Co2, that’s the equivalent to driving around the world over 150,000 times!
Respectful embrace the natural environment rather than placing a strain on it. Critically, there is no soya used in the hens’ feed, which is the single biggest contributor of carbon in the production of eggs and a key factor in deforestation of the beautiful Amazon basin in South America. Instead, soya has been replaced with homegrown field beans, nurtured on the Respectful farms, even milled on-site, thereby reducing the food miles required to feed the hens. The field beans and crops are direct drilled, meaning soils are not ploughed, as well as meaning fewer tractor movements and reducing fuel use – beneficial for soil health too.
While Respectful minimises carbon emissions as much as possible, the small percentage remaining is carefully offset. Rather poignantly, Respectful farmers support independently verified and monitored carbon off set projects focused on forest protection in South America – the very area they refuse to pilfer from for feed. These vital projects, certified by Climate Partner, are helping to rebuild and replenish communities vulnerable to soya production.
The delicious eggs at the heart of this Respectful journey are pure white and laid by sociable white hens reared and raised on the Respectful farms; free to graze on open pastures, feeding on GM free crops. The conscious breed of hen is inherently more eco-friendly than standard brown hens, living 40% longer, naturally producing more eggs whilst consuming less feed – despite their leisurely ‘free to graze’ lifestyle, all contributing to a lower environmental impact.
The farms use renewable energy from Respectful’s own solar array, as well as procured wind energy, further contributing to the reduction of CO2e emissions. Climate Partner, the leading solutions provider for corporate climate action, have independently verified the carbon footprint of the Respectful egg, monitoring its journey and impact from its beginnings on the farm all the way through to Sainsbury’s stores.
Lewis Mercieca, Respectful’s Commercial Manager, comments: “The Respectful egg reflects our passion for sustainable farming and the environment, our love for our hens, and our commitment to decarbonisation. We want customers to trust in our food, to trust in our eggs; and know that when they are purchasing a Respectful egg, that we have not only endeavoured to place the lightest footprint possible in delivering them a natural and delicious egg, but that every day we are trying to tread lighter still. Carbon neutral is a target for today, net zero is our goal for tomorrow.”
Respectful Eggs retail in selected Sainsbury’s stores priced from £1.99 for 6 eggs – see more at respectful.co.uk
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