apetito has announced a £1.3m investment to increase the number of solar panels used at its main manufacturing site in Trowbridge, Wiltshire.
In addition to placing panels across roofs on site, the meals provider will also build a carport dedicated to housing yet more panels to maximise generation. Through this installation – due to begin in September – just over 10 per cent of all electricity used across the entire site will be generated by solar panels, which apetito estimates will save around 220 tonnes of CO2 per year.
apetito aims to achieve net zero by 2040. With electricity representing almost 30 per cent of its Scope 1 and 2 emissions, the solar panel project is therefore of high importance to ensure these short-term targets are met.
Lee Sheppard, apetito’s director of corporate affairs, policy and sustainability, said: “When we set our carbon commitment to net zero back in 2021, it was extremely important to us that we did not simply make a claim without a strong commitment to act now. Having a clear three stage carbon reduction plan in place ensures that we are being held accountable for our actions and making immediate change to reduce our carbon footprint.
“This significant investment in renewables highlights this commitment and our continued efforts to decarbonise the business in the right way. This project is an important milestone to reaching our ambitious short-term Scope 1 and 2 reduction targets by further increasing our self-generation of electricity, particularly across our manufacturing operations.”
