McCormick move reminds us progress often comes at a cost

Spare a thought for the 380 workers at McCormick’s Littleborough factory this week, who face losing their jobs amid a move to a hi-tech, more sustainable facility in Peterborough, some 100-odd miles away.

The move won’t result in a huge amount of net job losses at the company, as the new site will create 300 new positions. But that’s little consolation for the 380 Littleborough employees, who will be assisted by McCormick through an “extensive people care programme”, which includes “outplacement, financial and wellbeing support, as well as redeployment opportunities and assistance to the Peterborough site”.

It goes to show that even the most honourable efforts can have unintended consequences. From a dispassionate point of view, this is likely the best way forward for both the McCormick business and the planet. The new facility, announced back in 2020, is touted as having “leading-edge R&D facilities” where it hopes to “establish a sustainable manufacturing blueprint for its global supply chain”.

But it’s a sad reminder that the push for improvements can have a silent cost. Amid all the boasting and back-slapping about sustainability and streamlining in this sector, it’s important to remember that industrial and technological innovation is rarely painless.

Take Unilever, for instance, which earlier this year announced plans to slash its headcount by 1,500 in a global restructure designed to turn it into a “more category-focused” business ready for the challenges of the future.

Laying off employees is a particularly tough decision to take now, as the cost of living soars and we’re preparing to see unprecedented levels of poverty.

That’s not to say all of these initiatives take a toll on the workforce. Take HelloFresh’s new Derby DC, which will offset all carbon emissions from production and distribution as well as creating 450 new jobs.

But the example of McCormick – which will certainly not be the last story of its kind over the years to come – is a reminder that even the most commendable of quests often have their casualties.