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Government backs carbon-cutting businesses with £51.9m

Tamara Birch, senior writer, The Eco Experts
Written By
Published on 16 January 2025
  • 25 UK businesses have been awarded nearly £52m
  • The funding will help businesses of all shapes and sizes expand and innovate
  • It is part of the UK’s Plan for Change initiative
These businesses emission cutting projects are worth £154m in total

The government has given £51.9m to 25 UK businesses to cut carbon emissions, as part of its mission to turn the UK into a clean energy superpower.

Minister for Industry, Sarah Jones said the funding will help the businesses expand and innovate, including supporting new jobs through construction and operations – helping to cut bills and boost local growth. 

Some of the businesses to benefit include Nestlé’s coffee processing site in Staffordshire, Heinz’s baked bean factory in Wigan, and a specialist craft beer company in Cornwall. 

These businesses will be able to deliver emissions-cutting technology, such as heat pumps, with projects worth £154m in total. 

“This delivers the government’s Plan for Change to make Britain a clean energy superpower, driving economic growth and building Britain,” Jones stated.

“The upcoming Industrial Strategy will also give investors and industry confidence to plan for the next decade and beyond, with clean energy industries a key sector identified to reignite the UK’s industrial heartlands and grow the economy.” 

Heinz received more than £2.5m, and invested nearly £5m of its own in the project, and will use it to switch its dependence on fossil fuels to heat water that’s needed to blanch beans and boil spaghetti hoops. 

The company will install heat pumps to reuse waste heat from other processes in the factory. 

Hanson Cement in North Wales will use its £5.6m grant to support its annoying multi-million pound carbon capture and storage project – creating hundreds of jobs during construction and capturing 800,000 tonnes of CO2 emissions per year once operational. 

Other winners included Pauls Malt and Verdant Brewing Co, who are helping to decarbonise beer production, as well as Warrington-based Novelis who received nearly £14m to expand its recycling capacity. 

Written by

Tamara Birch, senior writer, The Eco Experts

Tamara is a London-based journalist and has written about environmental topics for more than four years. This includes advising small business owners on cost-effective ways, like solar panels and energy-efficient products, to help them become more sustainable.

She has used her journalist and research skills to become highly knowledgeable on sustainable initiatives, issues, and solutions to help consumers do their bit for the environment – all while reducing monthly costs.

In addition to adopting sustainable practices in her personal life, Tamara has worked in the retail B2B space to help independent retailers think about their environmental choices and how they can help improve their business. She now uses this knowledge to help consumers do the same.

Her passion for sustainability and eco-friendly solutions stems from a long obsession with nature and animals and ensuring they feel looked after. In her free time, Tamara enjoys reading fantasy novels, visiting the gym, and going on long walks in new areas.

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Maximilian Schwerdtfeger

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