Soft drinks manufacturer Radnor Hills has been shortlisted in this year’s Wales Food and Drink Awards for a Sustainable Values Award.
The Knighton-based company, which produces a range of still and sparkling deliciously flavoured drinks. All made with exceptionally pure spring water sourced from its boreholes, it puts environmental sustainability at the heart of the company.
Six companies have been shortlisted for the Sustainable Values Award and the winner will be announced on May 9th at a ceremony in Brangwyn Hall, Swansea.
All of Radnor’s products are fully recyclable: plastic bottles and shrink wraps are 100% recyclable and made up of 30% recycled materials, and cartons are straw free. Radnor’s aluminium cans have the highest recycling rate of them all. Each can is infinitely recyclable and sourced only 65 miles from the company’s farm in the heart of the Welsh countryside.
Radnor is proud to have sent zero waste to landfill since 2018. It has an on-site state-of-the-art recycling facility and an expert in-house team to facilitate this. Any waste it can’t recycle is put into a compactor and sent to become refused derived fuel.
Radnor’s company management system has been certified to ISO 14001 standard, showing customers and suppliers that the company takes its impact on the environment seriously and is committed to keeping it at the forefront of the business. It has also planted more than 14,000 trees, symbolising its dedication to a greener future.
At the end of 2023, adding to its existing rooftop panels, Radnor opened a brand new £1.8 million solar farm. It produces 2,000 kWh of power a year, meaning 21% of the factory is now powered by the sun. It is also helping to mitigate rising energy costs.
“We’re very pleased to have been shortlisted for this award,” said Managing Director William Watkins.
“We’re passionate about working sustainably to protect our environment and the planet as we continuously work to become more sustainable, recycle everything we can and to protect the local environment.
“Our production site just outside Knighton is the only site in Europe with lines managing glass, PET, cans and Tetra Pak. This multi-format facility means we can significantly reduce onward transport costs and energy use, offering a true basket of products for our wholesalers and retailers, all from one collection point – our zero to landfill site in Powys.
“To enhance our offering further we procure our empty base cans from Ardagh in Wrexham. Along with our PET preforms, which are blown onsite, the glass for our Radnor brands travels down from our supplier in Chester, vastly improving our upstream impact on the environment.”
Last year, Radnor became the first winner of the new Excellence in Sustainability Award sponsored by the Welsh Government.
