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by James Bailey
Published: 04 October 2024
Greencroft Two, a new £21 million wine bottling plant, has opened in the UK and promises to raise the bar on sustainability in the industry. The 240,000 square foot facility, now home to Greencroft Bottling, can handle up to 400 million liters of wine a year once fully operational.
A standout feature of the plant is its environmental approach, with a £5.5 million investment in green technology. A 3-megawatt solar system, consisting of 5,700 panels, is installed on the roof, generating approximately 3 million kilowatt-hours of electricity each year. This setup, combined with three wind turbines on site, will produce around 8 million kilowatt hours of renewable energy annually – enough to power all operations within the Lanchester Group, which owns the facility.
“Greencroft Two is, in my opinion, the most sustainable wine bottling facility on the planet,” said Tony Cleary, chief executive of Lanchester Group. “Our aim is to use all the energy generated from our turbines and solar panels within the group, reducing our reliance on external sources. The next step is to install a 2.5MWh battery storage system next year to help manage supply and demand.
Cleary believes that companies need to step up and take responsibility for reducing their environmental impact: “We believe that every company should do what it can to reduce the use of fossil fuels. We are a family business, if we can do it, others can too.”
The building is the first to use advanced thermal insulation, with a U-value of 0.12 W/m²K, making it highly energy efficient. The Lanchester Group's sustainability strategy also includes installing solar panels on other sites, using geothermal energy and deploying air source heat pumps.
The launch of Greencroft Two is the latest step in the group's efforts to reduce its carbon footprint, which has been recognized with numerous industry awards. The company has also been shortlisted in The Grocer's Sustainable Packaging Awards for its 300g Verallia Bordelaise Air Ultra Light wine bottle, as it seeks to address environmental challenges across the entire supply chain.
The Lanchester group, which includes Lanchester Wines (a signatory to the Harpers Sustainability Charter), Spicers of Hythe, Full Circle Brew Co and Bon Bon's Confectionery, plans to continue to push for sustainable practices across its operations.
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