Sustainability

At Bread 41, sustainability is at the heart of everything we do. Our commitment to the environment and our community drives us to implement eco-friendly practices across all aspects of our business.

We proudly source our ingredients locally where possible, partnering with nearby farmers and suppliers to ensure our bread is made with the freshest, highest quality ingredients. This not only supports local agriculture but also significantly reduces the carbon footprint associated with transportation.

Our zero-waste policy is a cornerstone of our sustainability efforts. We meticulously plan our production to minimize waste, and any surplus bread is either donated to local charities or repurposed into new products like breadcrumbs and croutons. This approach not only helps in reducing food waste but also strengthens our ties with the community. In 2019 we started  on a process to eliminate single use cups and we were delighted to announce in Feb 2023 that we removed single use cups for good and for the good. Now all customers are asked to bring their own beverage containers with them to avoid single use items going to either landfifll or the incineration. In 2023 we prevented over 34,000 single use cups going to landfill or the incinerator.

In addition, we are dedicated to reducing plastic use in our packaging. We have adopted biodegradable and recyclable materials to ensure that our packaging aligns with our environmental values.

At Bread 41, we believe that sustainability is not just a choice but a responsibility. Our holistic approach, from local sourcing where possible and waste reduction to eco-friendly packaging, reflects our commitment to creating a positive impact on the environment and our community. Together, we can enjoy delicious, artisanal bread, pastries and food while fostering a more sustainable future.

We are super excited about our growth plans for the coming years, focusing on sustainable practices and repurposing store locations. Our strategy prioritizes using existing buildings, construction materials, and furniture. We aim to match the aesthetic lifespan of buildings with their physical durability, use recycled materials, ensure repairability and easy maintenance, and optimize energy efficiency with the latest baking equipment to minimize energy consumption.

Our Community

Bread 41 as a company also believe in Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR). At Bread 41, we work to improve lives, inside and outside the confines of our bakery. We believe that by extending our hospitality to our communities, we will strengthen our own culture and business. As part of our CSR we also believe in doing the best for the local community – in terms of engaging with local people as well as doing the best for the environment and job opportunities in inner city Dublin. Bread 41 recognises CSR as a vital part of our activity and is therefore committed to a course of social responsibility for the sustainable development of our business and community. The bakery promotes initiatives which support and encourage staff to achieve a reasonable work/life balance. As a company we strive to keep our family values, to motivate, empower and inspire our people, rewarding honest endeavours.

We are committed to:

• To being a positive contributor to the environment
• To undertaking community initiatives which improve the communities we work in
• To setting and achieving recycling targets
• To improving energy efficiency
• To determining and implementing effective carbon reduction strategies
• To utilising energy efficient equipment and practices

Bread 41 recognises the importance of our environment and strives to reduce wastage and our carbon footprint through a variety of measures. Within the bakery, we have a waste reduction programme which involves recycling all possible office materials . We seek to reduce our carbon footprint and road miles where possible. Furthermore, we are a renewable energy site and we have installed high performance low energy ovens which further reduce energy consumption. Bread 41 and its employees work hard to deliver the best service to the community whilst practicing environmentally friendly procedures. We are setting up a “Love Bread” education programme which works to teach people, schools and children about the nutritional values of Real Bread, its cultural history and ingredients.

Our Suppliers

This is our shoutout to the growers, millers, roasters, juicers, suppliers and importers who keep us stocked up with delicious and sustainable products: McNallys Farm, Co Dublin All Vegetables The Village Dairy, Co Meath Dairy Shipton Mill Flours Pigs on the Green, Co Meath Oak Forest Mills Kilkenny Grains North Wicklow Eggs Rings Family Farm Poultry Ollys Farm Honey Malone Fruit Farm Berries Click here for a link to read our supplier preference policy.

Our Mill

We are super excited to own a “New American Stone Mills”,  enabling us to mill onsite and have the freshest and most nutrient rich flour for our loaves. Through using a stone mill, our milling process is an inherently cold process that causes minimal damage to the vitamins and essential oils that are present in the grains. Furthermore, it helps us drive the ‘farm-to-fork’ concept through milling fresh grain onsite into flour to be used onsite in our bakery. We are very excited to bring this innovative concept to a bakery in Dublin. Stoneground flour differs from industrially ground flour in a variety of ways. The grains are milled gently using the stoneground method, being ground slowly between two stones- this goes back to the way grains would have been milled in Ireland for decades. There are three parts that make up a grain – the bran, the germ and the endosperm. Firstly, the bran provides fibre, protein and vitamins that are vital in maintaining a healthy digestive system. Secondly, the germ provides B vitamins and fatty acids that are necessary for healthy brain function and lastly, the endosperm contains starches, carbohydrates, protein, iron and B vitamins. Stoneground milling, which is done in a cool and gentle way, retains the important vitamins and nutrients that are lost on the opposite end of the spectrum where industrially ground floor use high speed rollers. These high speed rollers heat the wheat and in this process the vital elements of brand and germ are lost. In this process, important minerals, fats, fibre and vitamins are also eliminated. Some of the health benefits of eating bread with flour that has been stoneground include lowered cholesterol and blood sugar levels, while the nutritional value of flour that has been stoneground is also high, as digestibility is increased through this process.