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LWC Drinks solar panel project to boost sustainability

21-Mar-2024 - Last updated on 21-Mar-2024 at 15:14 GMT

LWC Drinks has installed 160 solar panels at its Cornwall depot. Image: Getty, Ezra Bailey

LWC Drinks, reportedly the UK’s largest independent drinks wholesaler, has installed 160 solar panels at its Cornwall depot as part of a recent site extension project.

The new panels will generate 90,000 kwh of renewable energy annually, supporting the wholesaler’s commitment to sustainability.

Commenting on the solar panel project, managing director Ebrahim Mukadam said: “As a growing, national wholesaler, we have a responsibility to operate in a way that supports both people and planet, and making on-going sustainable updates across the business is a significant part of this.

Trading with confidence

“I’m proud that these latest updates at our Cornwall depot means that our Cornish customers can trade with the confidence that they are partnering with a supplier that is committed to a more sustainable future.”

LWC’s Cornwall project followed a number of sustainability upgrades across the business over recent years, including the installation of solar panels at its new Hereford and Aylesbury sites.

Other upgrades included the roll out of electric cars and on-site charging points, energy saving lighting, paperless and plastic-free offices and the phasing out of older, less-efficient forklift trucks and commercial lorries.

‘Tip of the iceberg’

“With 17 sites, we know that we are just breaking the tip of the solar panel iceberg, but this is a journey we are committed to and will continue the roll out across other sites over the coming months and years,” Mukadam concluded.

Started more than 40 years ago by Robin Gray and Ebrahim Mukadam, LWC Drinks has close to 1,000 members of staff and serves 13,500 on-trade customers across the UK. Originally based in an old Mill in Greater Manchester, the company now works from a support centre in Manchester with 17 depots across the country.

Meanwhile, Arla Foods Ingredients has started construction on an €32m electric heat pump facility at its primary processing plant in Denmark, the manufacturer’s largest single investment in net-zero initiatives to date.

Set to go live in 2025, the heat pump facility at the Danmark Protein site will be able to convert 2.8MW of electricity into 8MW of heat.