McVitie’s owner invests £68m to reduce CO2 emissions

SNACK giant Pladis, which owns some of the UK’s most popular food brands, including McVitie’s and Jacob’s, has invested £68m (US$93m) to cut down CO2 emissions at its sites across England.

The company is looking to update and develop operations at its factories in Liverpool, Stockport, and Carlisle. It includes automating product lines and reducing energy consumption of machinery.

Pladis, which has powered 100% of its UK operations using renewable electricity since 2018, expects its new investment to cut 876 t/y of CO2.

The company says its UK operations are already achieving a 2% annual reduction of emissions, and just under three-quarters of its packaging has been reusable, recyclable and compostable since 2023, according to its latest sustainability report.

Updating infrastructure

A spokesperson said the company intends to update all existing infrastructure across its UK sites including in Halifax, North London and Leicester.

The spokesperson added: “These upgrades are more energy-efficient by design, requiring less power to operate while maintaining or increasing output.”

Pladis will be investing £21m into the McVitie’s Stockport factory, where the brand’s Jaffa Cakes are made, which will have a new chocolate moulding line that includes robotic technology.

The spokesperson explained: “These systems are designed to streamline production processes, reduce manual handling, and optimise consistency and speed.

“Robotics will help us minimise waste, operate machinery more efficiently, and ensure energy is used precisely where and when it's needed, ultimately lowering emissions.”

The Liverpool Aintree factory, known for producing Jacob’s Cream Crackers, will benefit from a £33m overhaul, with the installation of new ovens. And £2m will be used to update the infrastructure at the Carlisle factory, the oldest biscuit factory in the world, having opened in 1831.

Snack innovation

Along with the operations update, Pladis is also working to develop sustainable food ingredients for its products, announcing earlier this year that it will be working with 12 start-ups to scale-up food innovation.

This venture includes UK-based Fermtech, which has developed a cocoa alternative by fermenting spent grains from breweries and distilleries. The company says its product enhances the cocoa flavour while reducing cocoa use. Another start-up Zya has developed enzymes that it says can convert 30% of sugar into fibre after consumption.