FDBusiness.com

Plant milk producer Oato, part of Goodco Group, has slashed its electricity bills by three quarters after making its Lancashire bottling site entirely solar powered. An investment from Lombard backing 90% of the installation costs enabled the Oato producer to purchase and install 600 solar panels on-site.

Since installing the panels, the group’s monthly electricity bill for the 55,000 square foot facility has reduced from c. £8,000 to c. £2,500 per month. The panels are producing more power than the site needs to run, so the company is also benefiting from selling that excess energy at 15p per kw to the national grid and is offsetting its electrical consumption, reducing its overall environmental impact.

Carl Hopwood (pictured right), Founder and MD at Oato, said: “Our business is all about helping people make more sustainable choices, so we’re very grateful for Lombard’s support which has allowed us to make our bottling site completely solar powered. It means we’re reducing our impact on the environment even further as we continue to produce Oato, and the massive savings we’re making on energy costs will allow us to invest in the future of the business.”

Hussain Khattak (pictured left), Senior Relationship Manager at Lombard, said: “Supporting businesses to grow with innovative, energy-efficient solutions is our mission at Lombard – so I’m thrilled we could facilitate this solar installation for Oato, which is helping the business reduce both its emissions and its energy costs. The company’s commitment to providing a truly sustainable product is heartening, and we look forward to seeing what Oato does next.”

Hopwood launched Oato in 2019, with the business becoming a success story in the plant-based foods sector in the five years since. Its milk products are freshly made every day and delivered to customers in already-existing milk rounds – keeping additional vehicles off the road – and packaged in glass bottles which are thoroughly cleaned and re-used.

Oato provides a healthy and sustainable alternative to plant milks that are processed using Ultra-High Temperature (UHT) and are sold in long-life cartons, which are not widely recycled and which contain approximately 25% non-biodegradable materials.

Oato is becoming a leading dairy alternative milk brand in the UK and last month launched its fresh oat milk in 230 Waitrose stores nationwide.

As well as the 600 new solar panels, Lombard has previously funded a bottle washing machine and a pasteurisation unit for Oato.

Lombard is the UK’s largest asset finance provider. The company has been supporting businesses for over 160 years; whether investing in vehicles, equipment or cutting-edge technology, Lombard’s business finance solutions give businesses the tools to help them grow and thrive.

Part of the NatWest Group, Lombard has been funding renewable energy projects since 2010. It has a dedicated team providing specialist funding support for businesses looking to invest in renewable energy projects. Contact sustainability@lombard.co.uk to learn more about the funding support available.