Growing for the future: how The Billington Group embedded ESG with confidence
In today’s food system, the pressure is real: climate commitments, consumer scrutiny, investor demands and shifting regulation are moving faster than most businesses can keep up. For food companies, who are often balancing heritage, family values and the scale of modern operations, the challenge is even sharper.
The Billington Group, a proud, family-owned food business, recognised this. They didn’t want a glossy pledge or a strategy that sat on the shelf. They wanted something real: a credible ESG strategy underpinned by a net zero roadmap aligned to the Science Based Targets initiative (SBTi). More than that, they wanted to build the internal capability and confidence to deliver it.
Turning ambition into action
We at Future Food Movement partnered with The Billington Group to shape their Growing for the Future strategy. This wasn’t about delivering a static plan on a page. It was about creating the conditions for transformation.
Through in-depth research, stakeholder engagement and targeted leadership upskilling, we ensured the strategy wasn’t just insightful but fully owned by the business.
Together, we built a powerful group-wide ESG strategy and playbook that brought clarity and consistency across the portfolio. We designed governance structures and branded communications to ensure accountability and visibility. Alongside this, we delivered climate literacy and leadership upskilling, equipping senior leaders with the confidence to lead from the front. Most importantly, we helped align the business around a shared sustainability language, cutting through complexity so every colleague could speak with confidence about their role in driving change.
The process was a highly collaborative one, with our member-first approach tailored to The Billington Group’s unique culture. Our role was part strategist, part coach, part translator - making sure insights turned into actions, and actions into momentum.
What changed for The Billington Group
The impact is palpable. The Growing for the Future ESG strategy is now acting as both anchor and accelerator for the business - guiding big decisions while fuelling ambition. Leaders are equipped to move from intention to action, with confidence in what to prioritise and why.
As Sam Thompson, Head of Sustainability at The Billington Group, puts it:
“We trusted Future Food Movement’s approach from the start. The masterclasses gave our leaders the confidence to set ESG ambitions at the right size and pace for Billington. The playbook and support are now vital foundations for embedding ESG across the business.”
It has also strengthened trust. The Billington Group is now positioned not only as a forward-thinking player in their sector, but as a company embedding ESG at the heart of its identity. It’s important to mention that the work didn’t stop at strategy. The partnership continues with support for their SBTi submission and wider employee engagement, ensuring momentum is sustained and embedded across all levels of the business.
For The Billington Group, this was about building resilience as much as reputation. The work gives them the foresight and confidence to navigate shifting ESG expectations - and indeed the credibility to back up their ambitions with proof, not just promises.
Why this all matters
For us at Future Food Movement, this project captured exactly why we exist. Businesses don’t just need more plans. They need clarity, capability and collective action to move faster, with confidence.
Kate Cawley, Founder of Future Food Movement, reflects:
“What we loved about working with Billington was their honesty. They weren’t looking for window dressing. They wanted to do the work – to build the confidence of their leaders, to cut through the noise and to create a strategy they could own. That’s leadership. And that’s how you play your part in shifting the food system.”
This work matters beyond one business. It shows the value of investing in foresight, in ESG foundations and in upskilling leaders. These are not optional extras. They are what builds trust, resilience and competitive advantage in a sector where standing still isn’t an option.
A call to the wider food industry
If The Billington Group can do it, why not your business? A family-owned food group has shown that with the right support, you can move faster, build momentum and lead transformation.
This isn’t about being perfect. It’s about being credible, confident and clear. About equipping your people with the tools to take control of change. About proving your commitments through action, not just words.
At Future Food Movement, we believe belonging matters. Members like The Billington Group aren’t just building strategies for themselves, they’re shaping the future of food together. And that collective action is what will transform the system.
So, the question is: are you ready to join us? To move with us? To shape what comes next?