Innocent's Andy Joynson to deliver February SCItalk on ‘the blender’ eco-factory

On 22 February 2023, in the first SCItalk of the year, innocent's Andy Joynson will describe the earth’s favourite little healthy drinks factory – ‘the blender’

In 1999, a group of friends handed out squashed fruit drinks at a festival and asked people to vote on whether they should give up their day jobs. The people said ‘yes’, and healthy drinks company innocent was born. Today, innocent is a leading drinks brand with a strong reputation as a purpose-led business. It has since expanded into dairy-free and kids’ drinks, coconut water and juice shots.

But innocent still aspires to more than commercial success and, true to its values, it has launched the ‘blender’ – one of the world’s first carbon neutral factories, in Rotterdam, the Netherlands.

Strategically located for both innocent’s UK and European market, the site has enabled innocent to bring operations in-house and have more control over its manufacturing carbon footprint.

In this first SCItalk of 2023, Andy Joynson, innocent’s former Director of European Operations, will outline how the project came to fruition and how innocent is using engineering to bring it closer to achieving its decarbonisation strategy.

Andy Joynson said:

‘The blender reduces innocent’s overall carbon footprint and showcases the latest methods of conserving energy and reaching zero energy emissions. The blender will be powered up by its very own wind turbines and solar panels. Raw fruit and juice materials are transported by sea to the Port of Rotterdam. Our orange juice is transported by road using the earth’s first heavy duty net zero emission electric trucks.

‘Our design also takes employee wellbeing into consideration’, he added. ‘The blender will meet the highest standards of modern construction which includes the sustainability of the building and the standards for employee wellbeing.’

Before joining Innocent in 2019, Andy had a career across food and drink manufacturing supply chains. This included roles at PepsiCo, Cott beverages, Morrisons and Warburtons. He began his career at Cadbury after studying Manufacturing Engineering at Loughborough University.

SCI CEO Sharon Todd said:

‘SCI strives to showcase the latest technologies and innovations, and the blender is an excellent example. Andy’s talk is inspirational and shows it is possible to run a robust business whilst caring for people and the planet. I’m sure others will be impressed by the vision and detail included in this world-leading case study.’

SCI’s free-to-attend series of SCItalks is a platform for the public to hear from some of the most high-profile voices in the science-using industries. The talks cover diverse areas, from climate change to nudge behaviour; agrisciences to flavours and fragrances.

ENDS

For more information, please contact Maxine Boersma on 07771563373 or Maxine.Boersma@soci.org