Alllied Mills’ Emily Lewis is on the front line of milling’s environmental revolution
Sustainability has become the watchword of every industry in recent years, and milling is no different.

But putting theory into practice is a different science altogether.

In her job as group technical and environment manager at Allied Mills in Tilbury, Emily Lewis is responsible for overseeing all aspects of environmental compliance, ensuring the company remains on top of a growing amount of national and international legislation.

That includes everything from reducing the amount of energy used in operations to meeting Net Zero targets imposed by government.

It’s an ongoing process, and Emily admits that there is still long way to go.

“We’re very early on in our sustainability journey, and we are going through a learning exercise towards realising our long-term plans,” she says.

“But we are making strides: in our attempts to reduce energy and we have done a lot of work recently on recycled content, in the plastic packaging we use. On the technical side there has also been a lot done in the area of wheat sustainability.”

Emily joined Allied in 1994 as a trainee lab manager. Although she knew little about the milling industry, it seemed a role suited to her after studying food science at Humberside University.

She has since worked her way up the ladder, and in the intervening years has seen a profound change in the way milling operates.

“It has become very automated, but then most industries have,” she says. “But at the same time it’s exciting to be a part of something so technologically cutting edge. One day is never the same as the next.”

Emily is married to Gary, who also works at Allied as an engineer/electrician, and the couple have a nine-year-old daughter Lily.

Would mum ever suggest a career in milling for Lily?

“It’s a great industry to be in, and there are lots of opportunities which might not seem so obvious,” Emily says. “I’d certainly recommend it.”