Wiltshire Group backs renewable energy with solar project

Cricklade-based packaging business, GWP Group, has invested £235K in solar panel installations at its Wiltshire manufacturing site.

The investment, backed by parent organisation Macfarlane Packaging, is part of a larger initiative to reduce the environmental impact of the group's operations.

As part of the packaging industry, the commitment to sustainability has always been a priority for GWP Group, which was established in 1990.

The company designs and manufactures a range of protective packaging products, serving local, regional, and international clients.

With a strong base of over 500 customers and more than £19m in turnover, they now employ about 100 people in their two sites in Wiltshire- Cricklade and Salisbury.

Ruth Cook, Managing Director at GWP, said: "Although as part of the packaging industry, we have always been focused on how we can reduce the environmental impact of our customers’ packaging – through minimising material usage, efficient transport and innovative design – this project will be a real step forward for our own business.

Ruth Cook, GWP Group managing director (Image: GWP Group)

"The carbon-free energy provided by installing these solar panels will have a significant impact on the sustainability of our operations."

GWP commissioned renewable energy experts, Clean Earth, to supply and manage the installation of the solar panels.

The completed project, which is expected to cater for 40 per cent of the firm’s total electricity needs, will save roughly 70 tonnes of carbon per year, contributing to impressive savings of around 1,750 tonnes over the expected 25-year lifespan of the system.

David Patton, head of sustainability at Macfarlane Packaging, said: "A key area we are focused on across our business is to maximise the energy we use that is from renewable sources.

"One of the ways we are doing this is through the installation of solar panels across our Group operations.

"It made complete sense to undertake our next installation at GWP, where many customers are already receiving packaging delivered by our fully electric delivery vans."

As a result of the collaboration, the GWP Group now consists of five divisions, including corrugated cardboard products, bespoke protective cases, foam inserts, ESD (electrostatic discharge) packaging and specialist coated and reusable Correx® packaging.

The wider Macfarlane Group currently employs more than 1,000 people, boasting sales of over £280m in 2023 across the UK and Europe.

GWP are now part of Macfarlane Group, having been acquired at the end of February 2021.