Latest Industry News: Edition 37

From Waste to Watts: Coca-Cola Invests in Sustainable Solution  

Coca-Cola has provided over £1.5 million in funding to Pipeline Organics, as they aim to become a more sustainable and ecological company while working towards decarbonisation.  

Pipeline Organics, an early-stage cleantech startup, specialising in developing advanced enzymatic biofuel cells, has developed an innovative technology that transforms sugar-rich wastewater into clean, cost-effective renewable electricity.  

This low-carbon electricity can be utilised to power food and drink manufacturing sites or wastewater treatment facilities.   

The funding supplied will enable Pipeline to scale its technology and facilitate the adoption of cleaner and cheaper energy across the food and beverage sector.   

Coca-Cola European Partners (CCEP) plans to use this technology to power their food and drink manufacturing operations.   

This initiative not only reduces environmental impact by turning waste into a valuable resource but also supports CCEP's efforts to lower operational costs and promote sustainability.   

Purina Europe Joins Norwegian Marine Restoration Initiative  

The Norwegian Marine Restoration initiative (NoMaRe) is a newly established partnership network aimed at advancing large-scale marine restoration projects across Norway.   

Owned by Nestlé, pet food brand Purina PetCare Europe has joined this initiative as its first consumer goods partner. The company aims to address marine biodiversity loss through this new collaborative platform, where it is a founding partner.  

NoMaRe primarily aims to restore kelp forests along Norway’s coastline, which is crucial for marine biodiversity and carbon capture.   

With kelp forests declining globally due to human activities and overgrazing by sea urchins, this project will address these issues by prioritising marine restoration in national policies and securing funding from both public and private sources.  

This is important as approximately 60% of global kelp forests have disappeared or deteriorated in the last 50 years.  

Key actions include removing excess sea urchins from 5,000 km² in Northern Norway and promoting research and support for these initiatives.   

Decarbonising Industrial Clusters  

According to Innovate UK, the UK’s national innovation agency, efforts to decarbonise six industrial clusters could generate £22 billion in investment by 2040.   

Industrial clusters refer to geographic concentrations of interconnected businesses or related industries. The decarbonisation of these clusters will result in economic opportunities and long-term sustainability.  

The Industrial Decarbonisation Challenge, launched towards the end of 2019, supports the UK’s 2050 net zero targets by investing in projects to accelerate the low-carbon transition for heavy industry.   

The key focus areas of the Challenge, including fuel switching, energy efficiency, electrification, and carbon capture, usage and storage (CCUS) are crucial strategies in the industrial decarbonisation effort. Each area plays a significant role in reducing carbon emissions and transitioning into a low-carbon economy.  

Co-delivered by Innovate UK and EPSRC, the Challenge received £210 million from the government and £261 million from businesses before concluding earlier this year.  

Eastern Green Link 2 Project Granted Approval  

Ofgem, Great Britain’s energy regulator, has granted approval of a funding package worth £3.4 billion for the Eastern Green Link 2 (EGL2) project.   

The EGL2 is a 2GW high voltage direct current (HVDC) electrical ‘superhighway’ cable link, set to be built between Peterhead in Aberdeenshire, Scotland and Drax in North Yorkshire, England.   

The two 310-mile cables connecting England and Scotland are set to be operational in 2029 and are expected to modernise the transmission network by transporting renewable energy between the two countries.   

Referred to as the “clean energy superhighway”, this project is the first of 26 initiatives under Ofgem’s Accelerated Strategic Transmission Investment (ASTI) framework, designed to significantly enhance grid capacity and support the transition to renewable energy sources.  

This scheme aims to improve grid connectivity and accelerate the integration of clean power, enabling the efficient delivery of renewable electricity from generation sites to consumers.  

DPD Works Towards a Greener Future  

By the end of 2024, DPD UK, the parcel delivery company, is currently on course to nearly halve its emissions as part of its efforts to achieve net zero emissions by 2040, a target which received validation from the Science Based Targets initiative (SBTi).  

The Geopost company confirmed that they anticipate a 46% reduction in emissions by the end of the year compared to a 2020 baseline. This would result in a total decrease of 167,664 tonnes of CO2 equivalent (tCO2e) since 2020.  

In addition, DPD has reported that a third of its last-mile delivery fleet is now electric, with plans to deploy an additional 350 electric vehicles (EVs) in the upcoming months, bringing the total EV fleet to almost 4,000 vehicles.  

These sustainable initiatives set out by the parcel delivery firm will result in environmental improvements, including a significant reduction in carbon emissions and a positive impact on air quality. 

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