News | Industry Updates


Liquidline acquires


sustainable coffee company as it continues to expand


Coca-Cola bottler invests £11m in reducing emissions at its GB sites


Coca-Cola Europacific Partners (CCEP) has announced a major £11m investment over the next five years in its manufacturing sites in Great Britain, as part of its drive to become a Net Zero business by 2040. The investment will see its 200-strong


fleet of material handling equipment (MHE), including some gas-powered forklift trucks, which is used to move over 520 million unit cases of product around the bottler’s sites, replaced with units powered by lithium ion batteries, producing no carbon emissions in their day-to-day operation. This change will reduce CCEP GB’s


carbon emissions by more than 1,500 tonnes each year and represents a further step towards its target of reducing carbon emissions across its value chain by 30% by 2030 and reaching its overall ambition of reaching Net Zero by 2040. All CCEP’s GB sites have been powered by 100% renewable electricity for over 10 years and CCEP GB has already seen a 47% reduction in its carbon footprint since 2010. Work has already begun to replace the


MHE fleet, with the transition complete at the Morpeth factory and Milton Keynes Cold Drinks Operations, and last month training began on the 76-strong fleet being introduced at Wakefield, Europe’s largest soft drinks production site by volume. The changeover will be completed at four remaining sites in Great Britain by 2024. CCEP is working with world leading MHE manufacturer Linde Material Handling, to introduce the new fleet, which will not only be powered solely by renewable electricity, but is also more efficient and safer to operate. The new MHE can be charged quickly without having to remove the battery from the machine; a full charge now takes just two hours, rather than the eight


hours required by the current fleet. Alternatively, top up charges can be completed during break times. This means not only that they require less electricity to charge, but also deliver a significant increase in efficiency in a fleet that operates for more than half a million hours each year. The fleet is also much easier and more


comfortable to operate, and comesequipped with Linde Safety Guard, an innovative monitoring system that increases safety for truck operators and pedestrians in the vicinity of the truck. The sustainability drive forms part of


CCEP’s This is Forward sustainability action plan, which targets six key social and environmental areas where the business has a significant impact. CCEP has committed to accelerate the decarbonisation of its business by reducing absolute greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions across its entire value chain – including scope 1, 2 and 3 emissions. It has also set a path to become a Net Zero business by 2040 in alignment with a 1.5˚C pathway and the Paris Climate Agreement. This is supported by a three- year €250m investment. Stephen Moorhouse, vice-president and


general manager, Coca-Cola Europacific Partners (GB), said: “With the major climate conference COP26 taking place at the moment, all businesses need to go further to reduce their environmental impact and help the UK government achieve its net zero targets. “For Coca-Cola Europacific Partners, that


means not only ensuring that we’re using more sustainable materials in the products we sell, but also by making the significant reductions in emissions from our own operations that this project will help deliver.”


Provider of commercial coffee solutions, Liquidline has acquired sustainable coffee company Underdog Coffee Co. as it continues to expand its market share and improve its eco-credentials. Liquidline supplies and maintains commercial coffee machines, water dispensers, vending machines and juice dispensers to organisations throughout the UK and Ireland, including offices, car dealerships, hotels, restaurants, schools and more. The acquisition of Underdog Coffee


Co. comes at a time when Liquidline is expanding rapidly, investing in people and digital infrastructure, to enable them to provide more businesses and public sector organisations with ‘wow’ moments by supplying quality commercial drinks machines, nation-loved consumables and first-class service and maintenance. The family-run business already has


showrooms in London, Manchester, Dublin and Glasgow, as well as a depot in Yeovil, alongside their head office in Ipswich. As well as acquiring the customers


and brand, Liquidline will also maintain a number of the Underdog Coffee Co. coffee products, which will be added to their already extensive range of quality consumables. Fairtrade and organic, the Underdog blends will help to further fulfil the increased demand for more sustainably sourced coffee beans. Managing director, Gavin Pooley, commented: “With a strong sense of responsibility and a passion for delivering fantastic coffee experiences, Underdog Coffee’s core values are well aligned with our own, so the acquisition was an opportunity we jumped at. “Not only will the acquisition allow us


to better serve businesses in the South West, providing exceptional commercial coffee solutions, but it will also offer our existing customers a more diverse range of fairtrade and organic coffee blends - a market that’s grown exponentially over recent years.”


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