Co Armagh potato processor is making a series of investments to reduce its carbon footprint
A transport and distribution service focused on bio-methane-fuelled lorries has allowed Wilson’s Country to dramatically reduce its carbon footprint.
A year ago ago, the County Armagh potato processor reached an agreement with McCulla Ireland, which saw the logistics and warehousing provider distribute the Wilson’s product range to customers throughout the island of Ireland using lorries that are powered with fully renewable bio-methane. The fuel is generated at McCulla’s own anaerobic digestion plant.
According to Wilson’s Country managing director Lewis Cunningham, the switch to the new transport arrangements has had an extremely positive impact on the carbon footprint across the potato business.
“Over the past year, the new haulage arrangements have reduced our greenhouse gas emission levels by the equivalent of 403,374kg of carbon,” he said. ”This is equivalent to the carbon dioxide absorbed from the atmosphere by 18,318 mature trees. And we want to build on this for the future.”
Craigavon-based Wilson’s Country said it is committed to securing a carbon-net-zero position “within the most feasible timeframe possible”.
The development is the latest sustainability initiative for the company, which recently invested £3mn in its own anaerobic digestion plant. The plant is mostly fuelled by potato waste from the business, and is already producing around 60 per cent of the firm’s annual electricity needs.
“The utilisation of this green energy is already helping us to secure our Scope 1 and Scope 2 targets on a meaningful basis, with a reduction of 68 per cent between 2019-2024,” said Cunningham. “The agreement with McCulla Ireland is allowing us to address our Scope 3 commitments in a very proactive manner.”
A further key factor that aligns both businesses is their use of the sustainability management systems provided by Belfast-based technology and consulting company SUSNEO.
The firm provides a holistic analysis, in real time, of all the key metrics that determine the overall sustainability levels achieved in businesses, with artificial intelligence at the heart of its approach.
