‘Green construction could save food industry millions’

The UK food industry could save £120 million  (€140m) per year by building more environmentally sustainable manufacturing and processing facilities.

That’s the conclusion of a white paper just released by food industry construction company Chalcroft.

“As one of the major energy users in the UK, sustainability is something that the food industry simply cannot afford to ignore,” says Chalcroft managing director Mark Reeve. “Unfortunately many sustainability measures implemented by companies today reflect the last-minute nature of the consideration this important area is given.

“All too often, construction companies are consulted too late in the process to allow their significant expertise to be used effectively. The net result is that a significant opportunity to reduce carbon emissions and contribute to the security of future energy supplies is being missed.”

One of the principal barriers to green construction is the perceived cost, according to Reeve. However, he goes on to say that while the return on investment for some measures will be more than five years, there are some significant cost savings that can be made with a pay-back period of as little as 12 months.

“The size of the opportunity is clear,” he concludes. “The challenge now is to ensure a more collaborative approach is adopted, enabling best practice to be adopted by designers, architects and construction experts to deliver more sustainable, cost effective and efficient manufacturing, storage and processing facilities.”