Nestlé opens £35M bottling and warehousing site
The new factory combines the bottling facility with warehousing capability for the first time.
As well as the energy reduction, the new production lines have enabled Nestlé Waters to reduce the packaging used in its bottles of Buxton Natural Mineral Water and Nestlé Pure Life Spring Water by an average of 25% across the range.
Nestlé’s bottles are now one of the lightest in the UK, it claimed.
‘World class investment’
Environment minister Lord de Mauley, who opened the site today (March 14), called the new facility a “world class example of innovation and efficiency”.
“Investments like this in our food and drink industry help generate economic growth and create more jobs. This investment will ensure Buxton remains the home of Nestlé Waters’ bottling facilities long into the future, that is good news for the local community, the economy and the environment,” added de Mauley.
John Harris, Nestlé Waters ceo, said: “The long history that links Nestlé Waters to Buxton, commits us to being a responsible company in this community, as in our factories all around the world.”
The Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs said more investments like this in the food and drink industry would support economic growth and create jobs.
As part of the official opening it was also announced that the factory had achieved an ‘excellent’ grading in its Building Research Establishment Environmental Assessment Method (BREEAM) certification.
The BREEAM accreditation is an environmental assessment method and rating system for buildings. It assesses the site’s energy and water use plus its transport infrastructure and its ecology.
‘Minimises impact’
The factory has a drainage system designed to mimic as closely as possible the natural drainage of the site, which minimises the impact of urban development flooding and pollution of waterways.
Other BREEAM highlights of the factory include energy efficient lighting, recycled heat systems and a scheme to attract species of animals ̶ such as butterflies ̶ back to the site. The factory has also been independently audited and certified zero waste to landfill.
Today’s announcement marks another milestone in the multi-million pound investment journey Nestlé has undertaken in the UK to establish its next generation of manufacturing facilities.
Last year Nestlé pledged to invest a further £500M over the next three years.
Paul Bulcke, Nestlé S.A. ceo said: “This factory will contribute to accelerating the development of our bottled water activities and illustrates our capacity for innovation in production facilities via an approach which combines strong and sustainable production efficiency with outstanding environmental performances.”
