£13m line opens at Lucozade Ribena Suntory Coleford factory

A year after Japan-based Suntory Beverage & Food announced its £13m investment in Lucozade Ribena Suntory’s Coleford factory, the company’s chief operating officer (COO), Carol Robert, pushed the button to launch its new energy and water-efficient production line.

The high-speed bottling line fills 55,000 bottles an hour, enabling Lucozade Ribena Suntory to keep up with the demand for its drinks, including British favourites Lucozade and Ribena and popular lower calorie options. This new line forms part of Suntory’s global sustainability strategy by reducing the amount of water and energy used during the manufacturing process.

Producing a bottle on the new line requires 40% less energy and water than the previous line. This is in part due to world-class innovation such as new dry aseptic technology, which uses heat and pressurised air instead of water to clean bottles before they are filled. These efficiency improvements represent a 4.4% reduction of energy and water consumption for the Coleford site as a whole.

The Royal Forest Factory is at the heart of Lucozade Ribena Suntory’s UK operations and is already one of the most efficient factories under the Suntory brand. This investment from parent company Suntory Beverage & Food is in recognition of the UK factory’s status and reflects the business’ ambition to reduce its impact on the environment.

This investment also sets Lucozade Ribena Suntory up for future success as the additional capacity for bottle production allows the factory to evolve alongside consumer tastes. While Lucozade Ribena Suntory’s much-loved core drinks remain incredibly popular, this new line will provide flexibility for future innovation, particularly around new low-calorie options, which can now be delivered to UK consumers in a more sustainable way.

Carol Robert, at Lucozade Ribena Suntory said the launch of the “significant” production line forms part of its ‘Growing for Good’ vision.

“It’s fantastic to have been able to invest £13m in this line and to deliver a 40% reduction in the energy and water required to make each bottle. In doing so, we are making an important commitment to both the environment and our consumers, Robert said.

“This investment is a vote of confidence by Suntory Beverage & Food in our UK and Gloucestershire operations, ensuring our factory in Coleford continues to be a best-in-class facility for years to come.”

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