Manufacturer McCormick’s first net-zero building set for Peterborough

McCormick has partnered with Natural Capital Partners to offset any remaining emissions

The Peterborough manufacturing facility is due to open later this year. Once fully operational, the 93,000m² site will employ approximately 300 people.

The new facility is being developed in adherence with the UK Green Building Council (UKGBC) Net Zero Carbon Buildings Framework to help deliver net-zero carbon in both construction and operations.

A whole life carbon assessment has been carried out to uncover ways to reduce emissions. Onsite concrete mixing and the use of low-carbon concrete, as well as reusing all 12,400m³ of excavated soil at the site will help reduce emissions.

The site’s operational electricity supply will come from a blend of renewable sources and water use will be reduced and reused through trigger controls, water monitoring and an air-line cleaning system.

McCormick has partnered with Natural Capital Partners to offset any remaining emissions.

The company believes the site’s carbon emissions from construction alone will be reduced by at least 30%, which will be confirmed on completion.

McCormick’s EMEA president Chris Jinks said: “We are delighted that our new Peterborough facility is on track to become a Net Zero Carbon Building and I would like to take this opportunity to thank all of our colleagues and partners who have worked tirelessly to get us to this point. 

 “While acknowledging there is still much work to do to achieve our Net Zero ambitions at Peterborough, we are pleased with the progress we are making.”

 McCormick is currently building towards science-based targets to reduce emissions by 20% from facilities and 16% across the value chain by 2030.

Supplier hub

The company recently partnered with Mars and PepsiCo on a coalition aimed at encouraging suppliers to reduce carbon emissions in alignment with climate science.

The three firms are the first corporate members of the Supplier Leadership on Climate Transition (Supplier LoCT), a new collaborative effort to provide suppliers with resources, tools and the knowledge to develop ambitious carbon reduction strategies.

Through Supplier LoCT, which has been set up in partnership with consultancy Guidehouse, end-user corporates will help suppliers understand how greenhouse gas emissions can be measured and reduced in their own businesses by setting science-based targets and joining business commitments such as the RE100.

CDP research shows that, on average, supply chain emissions are up to 11.4 times higher than operational emissions. Therefore, many businesses that have set net-zero or science-based targets are also aiming to reduce supply chain emissions. Engagement with suppliers has seen those analysed by CDP reduce aggregate emissions by 619 million tonnes, which has saved them $33.7bn in the process.

Matt Mace