Frucor Suntory aims for net-zero at $400 million facility

Frucor Suntory Oceania has taken steps towards net-zero operation of its new new $400 million state of the art manufacturing and distribution facility now under construction in Swanbank, Queensland.

The facility, which will have the immediate capacity to deliver 20 million cases per annum, has signed with publicly owned CleanCo to secure a 11GWh clean energy supply.

The company, which produces numerous products including Pepsi, Gatorade, Up& Go and Just Juice brands, said the new plant was one of the largest recent investments in food and beverage manufacturing.

CEO of Frucor Suntory Darren Fullerton said: “For over 120-years, Suntory has focused on Growing for Good, and we want our new $400 million plus Swanbank facility to set a benchmark for sustainable investment for our global business and the FMCG sector.

“Working with partners like CleanCo is essential to helping us achieve that vision and will allow us to operate with 100 percent Green Energy when the site goes live in mid-2024.”

The energy deal has been enabled by the Queensland Energy and Jobs Plan, and follows a government investment of half a billion dollars to develop up to 2.3GW of large-scale solar and wind projects in regional Queensland.

CleanCo CEO Tom Metcalfe said sustainable retail products helped to attract large commercial and industrial businesses to Queensland.

Metcalfe said: “Under the agreement CleanCo will supply electricity and large-scale generation certificates (LGCs) covering 100% of Frucor’s electricity requirements demonstrating how, through providing sustainable, competitively priced clean energy solutions, CleanCo is supporting large commercial customers to thrive in a net zero future.”

Picture: Frucor Suntory