NEWS
Diageo Announces £40.5m Investment in Beer Packaging Facilities Diageo has announced a £40.5m investment to expand capacity at its packaging facilities in Belfast and Runcorn, England, which is set to support the growth of Guinness Draught, Guinness Zero and Guinness Nitrosurge. The facility in Belfast will see its canning production more than double with a £24.5m investment that will convert existing warehouses into a new stateof-the-art packaging line capable of producing 72,000 cans per hour. A further £16m will be invested at the Runcorn site to significantly upgrade its bottling line and expand warehousing capacity.
No Time To Waste As Coca-Cola HBC Sets 2040 Net-Zero Target Local drinks giant Coca-Cola HBC has announced its commitment to achieve net-zero emissions across its entire value chain by 2040. The announcement by the company, which employs over 450 people at its plant in Lisburn, is the latest demonstration of its commitment to sustainability and investment in its Northern Ireland operations. Measures will include moving to 100% renewable electricity and significantly increasing renewable energy use in other aspects of the business, including heat, transport and refrigeration. Coca-Cola HBC will also play a significant role in the introduction of Deposit Return Schemes across the island. General Manager Miles Karemacher said: “As the climate crisis intensifies, every business needs to play its part to cut carbon emissions from its direct operations and across its supply chain. With today’s announcement, we are delighted to be playing our part
locally in the transition to a low-carbon society. “This commitment is the ultimate destination of a journey that we started many years ago and is fully aligned with our philosophy to support the socio-economic development of the local community and to make a more positive environmental impact. “As a Group, Coca-Cola HBC has already achieved science-based carbon-reduction targets, so our confidence is founded on a strong track record. Locally, within our state-of-the-art manufacturing facility in Knockmore Hill, Lisburn, we have reduced our overall emissions by 60%, and by 32% in our value chain in the last decade.” The firm is also renewing its partnership with local charities such as FareShare NI and FoodCloud to prevent food waste, as a means of climate mitigation in instances where emissions cannot be eliminated entirely from its value chain.
The firm is making the investment to meet global demand for Guinness products from domestic and export markets, with the expansion set to support accelerated production and product innovation. It will enhance efficiency and competitiveness at both sites. Construction is set to begin immediately with capacity at both facilities expected to come online in 2023. Commenting, Aidan Crowe, operations director for beer at Diageo, stated: “This expansion is a significant investment in the development of our packaging facilities. The projects in Belfast and Runcorn will support our growth ambitions, helping us to deliver end-to-end product innovation, and reinforce our agility to meet demand and provide excellent service to our customers around the world.” Deirdre Delaney, operations manager at Diageo’s Belfast packaging site, added: “This is an exciting time for our site in Belfast as we invest in our business to support the growth of our business. We contribute considerably to the local economy in Belfast and the £24.5m investment will further support our supply chains and local communities.”
“Measures will include moving to 100% renewable electricity and significantly increasing renewable energy use in other aspects of the business, including heat, transport and refrigeration. ” 14
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