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Britvic has announced that as of yesterday (1 February), 75% of the electricity used in the production of its soft drinks in Great Britain – such as Fruit Shoot, Tango, Robinsons and J2O – is coming from a 160-acre solar farm in Northamptonshire in the East Midlands, UK, cutting over 1,000 tonnes of carbon dioxide a year. The ten-year solar power agreement – which provides clean energy to UK factories in Rugby, London and Leeds – covers three-quarters of Britvic's electricity needs in the country, with the aim of reaching 100% solar-powered operations in the near future.

The solar site, which was commissioned last month and is now operational, will produce 3.3-gigawatt hours (GWh) of power, sufficient to power approximately 11,500 homes. This has the potential to reduce up to 1,113 tonnes of carbon dioxide from Britvic's supply chain annually. Collaborating with renewable energy provider Atrato Onsite Energy, the 650,000-square-metre solar installation is set to expand its capacity, reaching 27 GWh. This initiative aligns with Britvic's commitment to achieve net-zero carbon emissions by 2050. Sarah Webster, Britvic’s director of sustainable business, said: “This is an exciting opportunity to ensure that some of the country’s most recognisable and much-loved soft drinks are powered by renewable energy. We know consumers want to buy more sustainable products, and this is another step towards reducing carbon emissions and our long-term sustainability targets.” The project uses a former quarry site deemed unsuitable for farming. It incorporates double-sided solar panels that use tracking devices to follow the sun, resulting in a 10% increase in efficiency. Gurpreet Gujral, managing director of renewable energy at Atrato Group, commented: “We are thrilled to complete this landmark and unique agreement with Britvic, reducing carbon emissions while delivering attractively priced energy. Our business model is all about designing unique structures for clients tailored to their energy consumption needs and real estate site constraints, while delivering on sustainability targets and lower energy costs.” Chris Bowden, managing director of Squeaky Clean Energy, added: “Having pioneered the use of corporate power purchase agreements in the UK it has become abundantly clear that new and innovative contracting structures are needed to accelerate the transition to clean energy. The Squeaky team is incredibly proud to have scored another clean energy first with a unique power purchase agreement arrangement that enables Atrato to de-risk the financing of its project and Britvic to deliver on its Healthier People, Healthier Planet sustainability mission.”