How drinks manufacturer Radnor Hills is leading the way on sustainability

The Knighton-based company, which produces a range of still, sparkling and deliciously flavoured drinks all made with exceptionally pure spring water sourced from its boreholes, puts environmental sustainability at the heart of the company.

They were announced as the winner of Wales Food and Drink Awards’ Sustainable Business of the Year at an event held at Brangwyn Hall in Swansea.

William Watkins, CEO of Radnor Hills, which was founded in 1990 and produces over 400 million drinks a year, said: “We’re continuously working to become more sustainable so we are very proud to win this award.

“For us, this win stands as testimony to the amazing work the whole team at Radnor put into our sustainability journey, from maintaining zero landfill status to generating our own renewable solar energy and everything in between.”

All of Radnor’s products are fully recyclable: their plastic bottles and shrink wraps are 100 per cent recyclable and are also made up of 30 per cent recycled materials, while their cartons are straw free.

Radnor’s aluminium cans have the highest recycling rate of them all. Each can is infinitely recyclable and sourced only 65 miles from the company’s farm in the heart of the Welsh countryside.

Radnor has sent zero waste to landfill since 2018, has an on-site state-of-the-art recycling facility and an expert in-house team to facilitate this.

Any waste they can’t recycle is put into a compactor and sent for RDF (Refused Derived Fuel).

Operating as zero to landfill also means the company can support a circular economy, sending any waste back to the source to be reused and recycled.

Radnor’s company management system has been certified to ISO 14001 standard, showing customers and suppliers that the company takes their impact on the environment seriously and is committed to keeping it at the forefront of the business. They have also planted more than 14,000 trees, symbolising their dedication to a greener future.

At the end of 2023, and adding to their existing rooftop panels, Radnor opened a brand new £1.8 million solar farm, which produces 2,000 kWh of power a year, meaning 25% of the factory is now powered by the sun. It is also helping to mitigate rising energy costs.

Bob Clark of Itch Investors, who chaired the judging panel, said: “I’d like to congratulate everyone who entered and in particular those who made it to the finals as the quality of the entries this year was amazing.”