Turkey giant Bernard Matthews is set to hit its deadline for becoming an energy neutral business three years ahead of target, bosses have predicted.

The EDP Top 100 firm has developed a pioneering partnership with renewable energy developers securing £90m of third party investment to utilise the land it owns to house solar and wind farms.

In addition it is also investing in a plant at its Holton facility which can process waste matter to generate energy.

With many of the measures now about to come on stream, the firm predicts it will be energy neutral and cut its carbon emissions well ahead of its original 2020 target.

The news comes as more than 300 delegates from businesses across Norfolk will be gathering at a major conference on sustainability at the John Innes Centre tomorrow. Organised by Norfolk Chamber, the aim is to highlight measures firms can take to become greener, while also helping to boost margins and drive down costs.

Richard Southgate, director of procurement at Bernard Matthews, said the firm had a number of strands to achieve its energy targets. 'There is a huge energy efficiency programme within the business to bring down consumption and we have used heat pump technology to improve efficiency for the future,' he said.

'Through our energy efficiency programme we will generate more than enough power to offset everything we produce.

'It drives down our utility consumption considerably and we will also see a lot of operational cost savings.'

However, the business has ran into hot water convincing residents living near one proposed community wind farm at Oulton, near Aylsham, after an 'administrative error' was blamed for the illegal felling of more than 300 trees at the proposed site.

But with the firm facing increased pressures on its bottom such as rising costs, overall it believes the benefits speak from themselves with the investments helping to reduce costs - including more than £3m in energy bills while providing a return for its partners.

Craig Hodgson, head of food and beverage at EDP Top 100 sponsors Mills and Reeve, said there was a rising trend among Top 100 firms to focus on boosting sustainability particularly in the food and drink sector.

'All businesses are looking at ways of reducing their input costs at a time when it's very difficult to increase prices,' he said. 'It's a helpful way of reducing their bills, but also increasing their sustainability credendtials when they are talking to key customers, which could be a key difererntial from another brand.'

Caroline Williams, chief executive of Norfolk Chamber of Commerce said: 'Sustainability is now seen as an efficiency driver, especially when expertise is effectively shared and businesses collaborate. What is clear, is that if you want to save money and be more competitive, you have to engage with sustainability.'

Mark Pendlington, chairman of the New Anglia LEP's Green Economy Pathfinder Group said: 'The Norfolk Sustainability Conference is an important part of the business calendar and it will see the coming together of some of the most forward thinking green firms from across the East of England.'