Leading glass bottle manufacturer and filler, Encirc, part of the Vidrala Group, has extended its beverages partnership with the UK’s largest soft drinks company, Britvic. The new deal will now see Encirc fill Britvic’s Robinsons 500ml glass cordial bottles, which it already manufactures at its Elton, Cheshire site. In addition, Encirc will continue to make and fill the soft drink giant’s Purdey’s bottles and J2O Spritz bottles.
The move to both manufacture and fill Britvic’s cordial bottles at the Cheshire site will prevent around a thousand lorry journeys from Great Britain to Northern Ireland across the three years – resulting in significant carbon savings of up to 22,000 tonnes. This will support Britvic’s aim to reduce its carbon footprint by 50% by 2025, aligning closely with Encirc’s own Science Based Targets and its plans to create a future fit for people, and the planet.
Encirc’s ability to bottle cordial is the result of direct investment in new equipment and resources, such as its Effluent Treatment Plant in Elton, which can safely treat more waste materials without harming the environment.
The plant will boost efficiency and capacity, helping Encirc expand its bottling capabilities and deal with a wider variety of beverages, including all carbonated drinks. Encirc’s bottling and distributing abilities are set to be further enhanced, with parent company Vidrala investing £75 million in a national distribution hub for the UK and European beverages industry. The hub is set to significantly reduce lorry movements nationwide and achieve notable carbon savings across supply chains in the UK.
Adrian Curry, Managing Director at Encirc, said: “We’ve bottled drinks for Britvic since 2005, and this latest extension of our partnership will see us continue to work together for at least the next three years and hopefully much further into the future. We’re delighted to see how glass cordial bottles are being received as more premium forms of packaging.
“Our 360 service is already one of the most advanced, complete beverage supply models for glass in the world, where we manufacture, store, fill and distribute, all from one site. We are delighted to work with Britvic as they further make use of this service as part of their carbon reduction strategy.
“We are always looking to lead the industry on the journey to net zero, whether that is by utilising hydrogen from the HyNet scheme to power our furnaces, or by investing in our Effluent Treatment Plant and National Distribution Hub. These projects will play key roles in improving the environmental credentials of the wider industry.”
Matt Phillips, Senior Procurement Manager at Britvic stated: “This new contract marks the start of the latest chapter of our relationship with Encirc. Their 360 offering and shared values on sustainability gives us the opportunity to further progress against our carbon reduction goals and other key priorities which sit within our Healthier People, Healthier Planet strategy to help create a better tomorrow.”
