Kegworth firm plays major part in world’s most sustainable health drinks factory

Manufacturing has started at drinks giant innocent’s new carbon-neutral factory, with the first bottled drinks rolling off the production line at “the blender” in the Port of Rotterdam.

Innocent claims that the blender is the earth’s most sustainable healthy drinks factory and will produce up to 300 million litres in a year. The London-based drinks manufacturer worked in partnership with Kegworth-based food and drink project delivery specialist, Integrated Food Projects to develop the £200m plant in the Port of Rotterdam’s new Food Hub.

The Rotterdam site enables innocent to bring its operations largely inhouse – meaning it can drive its own manufacturing carbon footprint.

The new factory incorporates a number of different technologies to reduce and reuse natural resources. For any further energy needs the blender will have its own solar panels and wind turbines, and road miles will also be reduced by 20%, as a significant proportion of the fruit and juice raw materials arrive by sea in the Port of Rotterdam.

Andy Tebbutt, joint managing director at Integrated Food Projects, said: “We have been working alongside innocent on the blender since 2018, and it’s fantastic to see the first finished drinks being produced, bottled and shipped from the factory. Sustainability has been a focal point of the blender since day one of planning, and what has been achieved at the factory really does recalibrate the industry standard for what can be achieved in sustainability within the food and drink manufacturing sector.”

Andy Joynson, chief blender at innocent added: “The team at Integrated Food Projects has been integral to the success of the project. Alongside engineering expertise, they brought their vast experience of delivering sustainable factories to help determine where the factory should be built, the methods and equipment used and ultimately, how it should operate sustainably.

“the blender is an important first step in achieving our ambitious target of innocent being a completely carbon neutral business by 2025. Reducing our impact on the environment and dependence on natural resources is the responsibility of every business that works in the food and drink manufacturing sector. We believe the blender is a shining example of what can be achieved, and as such we are committed to inspiring other businesses by sharing our knowledge and experience of building sustainable factories.”