The soft drinks manufacturer of Lucozade, which employs 330 staff at its Gloucestershire factory, has revealed a strong recovery from the pandemic with revenue up from £385.2 million in 2020 to £445 million in 2021.
Suntory Beverage & Food GB&I, which also makes the likes of Ribena at its Coleford plant, said its operating profit for its Lucozade business had increased from £77.2 million in 2020 to £89 million in 2021.
Despite the impressive figures the manufacturer, which saw most of its sales growth in the UK, some in Asia and a slight decrease in the EU, said the drinks market remained ‘challenging’ and its focus very much on its environmental targets.
'Suntory aims to become the first global drinks company to use 100 per cent sustainable plastic bottles, using fully recycled or plant-based materials across its entire portfolio by 2030,’ said its just-published annual report.
The firm, part of the family-owned $20 billion Japan Stock Market-listed Suntory business, said it was committed to reducing its CO2 emissions by 50 per cent by 2030 and achieving net zero by 2050.
Recent multi-million pound investments in its Gloucestershire plant have helped it move towards that goal, with the headline to date has being a near third reduction in CO2 emissions from gas and oil use.
It also stressed its ongoing commitment to sugar reduction, with all of its core drinks already achieving less than five per cent per 100 ml.
