Buxton Potato Company, which supplies Sourced Locally potatoes to the East of England Co-op, has won a gold award from Suffolk Carbon Charter for its green drive to cut carbon emmissions.

Tim Briscoe, managing director of Buxton's and Norfolk county winner of the East of England Co-op's Producer of the Year Awards 2014, applied to Suffolk Carbon Charter through the Co-op's pathfinder support programme.

Glyn Lee, East of England Co-op's energy manager, said: 'Well done to Tim – here is a great example of a local food producer thinking seriously about his impact on the local environment. We're keen to support all our local suppliers in demonstrating their green business credentials by signing up to the Carbon Charter'.

The Charter is run by Suffolk County Council and the Environment Agency, as part of the Creating the Greenest County partnership, and is delivered by Groundwork Suffolk. It recognises companies across Suffolk and beyond that are monitoring and reducing their carbon emissions.

Mr Briscoe, who has been a Sourced Locally supplier for five years, said: 'I am delighted with our gold award. We've been working hard to reduce our impact on the environment and have invested in solar panels, GPS precision agriculture systems and variable speed devices on irrigation pumps.

'Pulling all these measures into one framework has been a good exercise and they have been proved to be key to receiving the award.'

Based at Dudwick Farm in Buxton, the potatoes he grows across 550 acres of farmland include the varieties Marfona, Estima, Cara and Juliette.

Following an assessment by Groundwork Suffolk, Buxton Potato Company was awarded accreditation to the Carbon Charter at gold level, defined as 'an exemplar in low carbon management'.

Charles Beardall, area manager for the Environment Agency, said: 'The Buxton Potato Company is a great example of a supplier carrying out its business in a sustainable manner by reducing its carbon footprint. I hope this commitment will inspire other Co-op suppliers to do the same.'