F. Ball and Co. Ltd. has doubled the amount of energy it generates from renewable sources following further investments in solar panels at its Staffordshire headquarters.
The company now has over 1,700 solar panels generating over a 500kw peak across its main building and powder plant facility. It is estimated that this will prevent 59 tonnes of CO2 entering the atmosphere each year, the same amount produced by 12 petrol cars on average.
This renewables upgrade is a continuation of efforts by F. Ball to reduce its environmental impact, including introducing electric vehicle charging points for both company and employee vehicles. Factories are equipped with high-efficiency motors and boilers to minimise energy consumption, and a gravity-fed mixing plant avoids the need for electric motors to pump material into mixing vessels.
The manufacturer has also replaced much of its packaging with recyclable alternatives and pioneered the F. Ball Recycling Scheme, which provides receptacles at a wide number of wholesaler locations where flooring professionals can conveniently dispose of empty F. Ball buckets and bottles, for free.
Commenting on the significance of the new solar panels in the company’s sustainability strategy, F. Ball safety, health, environment and quality assurance (SHEQ) manager Jenny Barnett said: “This is the latest in a series of initiatives aimed at reducing both the resources we consume and our carbon footprint. We have a duty to manage our environmental impact. People increasingly want to buy from companies who take their environmental responsibilities seriously, and we are constantly looking at new ways to be more sustainable.”
