CCEP to invest £11m to advance net zero emissions commitment

Coca-Cola Europacific Partners (CCEP) has announced it is investing £11 million in its manufacturing sites in Great Britain, as part of its commitment to net zero emissions by 2040.

CCEP will replace its 200-strong fleet of material handling equipment (MHE) – which includes some gas-powered forklift trucks – with units powered by lithium-ion batteries that produce no carbon emissions in their day-to-day operation.

The company claims the move will reduce its carbon emissions by over 1,500 tonnes per year and signifies an additional step towards its objective of reducing carbon emissions across its value chain by 30% by 2030.

CCEP is teaming up with MHE manufacturer Linde Material Handling to introduce the new fleet, “which will not only be powered solely by renewable electricity but is also more efficient and safer to operate”.

The work for the MHE fleet replacement has already begun, with the transition completed at the Morpeth factory and Milton Keynes Cold Drinks Operations. Meanwhile, training for the introduction of the 76-strong fleet started last month at CCEP’s Wakefield plant – Europe’s largest soft drinks production facility by volume. CCEP expects the project to be completed by 2024.

CCEP’s VP and general manager, Stephen Moorhouse, said: “With the major climate conference COP26 taking place at the moment, all businesses need to go further to reduce their environmental impact and help the UK government achieve its net zero targets”.

“For Coca-Cola Europacific Partners, that means not only ensuring that we’re using more sustainable materials in the products we sell but also by making the significant reductions in emissions from our own operations that this project will help deliver.” 

Frank Denvir, leading the project for CCEP (GB), added: “This is a really significant step in making our GB bottling and distribution operations cleaner, greener and more efficient. It’s been great to work with Linde to find a solution that will deliver a significant carbon reduction across our GB sites whilst also improving the safety and usability of the machines for our hard-working teams.”

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