Britvic: Doing good while doing well

Britvic sets ambitious targets when it comes to sustainability. Here, Tom Fiennes, Commercial Sustainability Director, shares just some of the soft drinks’ manufacturer’s key achievements in the past 12 months

Doing good while doing well has been at the heart of Britvic’s ethos since its creation back in the 19th century and this continues to this day. We want to make a positive contribution to the people and the world around us. As a result, our Healthier People, Healthier Planet sustainability strategy is embedded in every element of the business.

We recognise that for our customers and consumers, sustainability is a priority and we are committed to achieving net zero carbon emissions by 2050. We lead the industry as the first UK soft drinks company to have a 1.5°C target verified by the Science Based Targets initiative.

Since 2017, we have reduced our global carbon emissions by 32.6% and generated 59% of our energy needs from renewable sources in 2022, up from 18% in 2017.

Last year, we installed a new heat recovery system at our Beckton site which will cut factory emissions by an estimated 1,200 tonnes each year, the equivalent of the annual energy usage of around 500 homes in the UK. This new system takes waste heat recovered from our existing systems, increases the temperature and redistributes it around the site using a new low temperature hot water network, replacing our carbon intensive steam system. This will decarbonise 50% of the site’s heat demand by shifting its heat source away from fossil fuels. This is incredibly important, as when we reduce our carbon emissions it translates directly through to our customers’ Scope 3 emissions.

We have also partnered with Atrato Onsite Energy to deliver clean energy across our sites via a 10-year Power Purchase Agreement. The solar site will generate 3.1 gigawatts of power, enough to power 11,500 homes. This could cut as much as 1,113 tonnes of carbon dioxide from our British supply chain each year – the equivalent of planting 260,000 trees.

This agreement covers 75% of the electricity Britvic gets from the National Grid in Great Britain – powering current operations, including its Beckton and Leeds factories, which can produce 2,000 recyclable bottles per minute for iconic brands including Tango, Pepsi MAX and Robinsons.

Britvic Ireland and Flogas Enterprise have signed a similar agreement to ensure Ballygowan, Ireland’s iconic water brand, is produced using 100% renewable electricity, harnessed from local wind energy.

Reducing our Scope 3 carbon emissions needs to be delivered in partnership with our suppliers, and in October, we welcomed more than 180 people from our top 50 suppliers to our first ever supplier sustainability summit. The aim was to educate and increase awareness of our sustainability commitments, drive collaboration and to place sustainability at the heart of our supplier partnerships.

We introduced attendees from across Europe, (approx 70–80% of our Scope 3 carbon emissions), to our Healthier People, Healthier Planet strategy with guest speakers and panels sharing best practice. At the event, we launched our new sustainable business contract clauses, covering climate targets and emissions reporting, and asked suppliers to sign up to sustainability platforms Sedex (an ethical supply chain assessment platform) and EcoVadis (a sustainability assessment platform), set science-based targets and align with sustainability certifications.

During the summit, we also launched a sustainable supply chain finance programme which recognises and rewards suppliers who make progress on their sustainability performance, commitment, and disclosure.

While these all address our healthier planet, we’ve also taken steps to support our people. We offer community volunteering days to employees, and the range of charities they support is as diverse as the workforce itself. We aim for employees to collectively spend 326 days a year volunteering across our British and Irish businesses. This year we recorded 788 days versus 482 last year – an increase of 64%, meaning we are likely to overachieve against our 2025 target.

IN NUMBERS

-32.6%
Since 2017, Scope 1 and 2 market-based carbon emissions have reduced by 32.6%

100%
Ballygowan, Ireland’s iconic water brand, is produced using 100% renewable energy, harnessed from local wind energy

EMPLOYEE VOLUNTEER DAYS
482 in 2022; 788 in 2023

59%
of energy needs came from renewable sources in 2023, up from 18% in 2017

2000
recyclable plastic bottles per minute are produced across our Beckton and Leeds factories

28GWh
The amount of clean energy that will be generated by Atratro’s new solar installation in Northampton is the equivalent of powering 11,500 homes

(Sources: Britvic Annual Reports 2021 and 2023)