Henderson Group has cut energy consumption by 13% at its headquarters in Mallusk, following a major solar panel rollout programme.
The Northern Irish Spar wholesaler switched on another 2,450 solar panels at its HQ over the past year, which includes offices and warehouses, adding to the 2,200 it installed in 2023.
“Our objective to reduce 5% energy consumption from head office operations continues and indeed surpasses itself year on year, with figures at the end of Q2 of 2024 showing a reduction of 13%,” said Henderson Wholesale Logistics director Alan Abraham.
“We have stringent and ambitious sustainability goals that have been a prioritised strategy to futureproof our business for many years, and will continue to be for many more to come.”
The second installation of solar panels at its Hyde Park warehouse, which holds Henderson’s ambient range of products as well as the refrigerated Henderson foodservice depot, was completed recently.
“The refrigerated Group warehouse is a huge consumer of energy – not only do we have to keep all stock chilled 24/7, but the energy generated from the panels is also used to power our refrigerated commercial fleet, so installing these solar panels will make a big impact,” said Abraham. “It is the equivalent of taking 115 cars off the road – an annual saving of 160,824kg in CO2 emissions.”
In addition, it has put solar panels on 50 Eurospar supermarkets and convenience stores, which is expected to rise to over 60 by the end of the year.
Henderson Group also continues to invest in EV charging across its company-owned forecourt estate, with 29 sites now providing over 60 individual vehicle charging points. It has also just bought its first two fully electric refrigerated trailers, having ran trials with various suppliers throughout 2023.
It found Schmitz Cargobull to be the best option for the company’s regional chilled distribution needs. The system is a fully electric solution with an on-board battery that powers the refrigeration unit. The battery is charged on-site and continuously recharged while driving by a generator powered by the trailer’s rear axle. Henderson plans to introduce more in 2026 as part of its fleet replacement plan.
The eco-friendly drive follows Henderson revealing at the start of the year it would invest £2.5m to further strengthen its sustainability commitments throughout 2024.
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