Last year, Apetito unveiled plans for a new food manufacturing facility in Wiltshire, designated Kitchen West.
This state-of-the-art facility will be constructed on the footprint of its former pie factory, alongside an additional parcel of land acquired in 2021, both situated on the Canal Road Industrial Estate in Trowbridge.
The company, also known for its ownership of Wiltshire Farm Foods, has successfully completed the initial phase, which involved preparing the site for the new plant. This preparation emphasized sustainable practices, as the materials generated from the work will be repurposed in a circular manner.
Apetito reported that during the site clearance and land preparation, approximately 20,000 tonnes of concrete from outdated foundations were crushed on-site. This material will serve to create a flat, stable platform for the new building.
In addition, around 1,500 tonnes of asphalt were segregated, crushed, and stored for future use under the roads and parking areas. This efficient process has minimized the number of truck movements by an estimated 1,500 trips, thus reducing the need for new materials during the construction phase.
Three warehouses on the property were dismantled instead of demolished, allowing for the recovery of valuable components such as cladding, roller shutter doors, purlins, and beams. One of these structures is being reconstructed by a waste recycling center, while another has been repurposed by a company specializing in wind turbine refurbishment. The third is slated for sale to a steel-frame specialist, and a smaller storage unit has been relocated by its owner, a building materials supplier.
According to the meals producer, approximately 110 tonnes of steel, which constitutes over 10% of the metals removed from the site, have been reused. This is double the average in the UK industry and has led to a reduction of roughly 120 tonnes of carbon dioxide emissions—equivalent to the emissions produced by a petrol car driving around the world 24 times!
Solar panels from one of the former pie site buildings have also been donated to a UK charity, Energy Garden. These panels will be used to power a sustainable community hub and garden project.
Overall, about 0.5% of deconstruction materials, by mass, have been preserved for reuse. Notably, 94.5% of materials have been retained on-site for reprocessing, while 4% have been directed to off-site recycling facilities. The remaining 1% was sent for energy recovery.
“By prioritising the re-use and recycling of materials throughout the deconstruction phase, we have significantly reduced the project’s environmental impact and demonstrated our commitment to the circular economy,” commented Lee Sheppard, director of corporate affairs, policy, and sustainability at Apetito.
“Kitchen West represents a significant investment in Apetito’s future and in sustainable manufacturing. From the outset, our ambition has been to create one of the UK’s most environmentally responsible factories, in line with our goal to reach Net Zero by 2040.”
“For us, Kitchen West is more than a food manufacturing facility – it’s a statement of how we can lead the way by employing sustainable practices to create a world-class, regenerative production kitchen for Trowbridge.”
Construction for Kitchen West is anticipated to commence in the second quarter of 2026, subject to planning approval. The facility is expected to become operational by mid-2027, enhancing the site’s capacity while the existing Mill Site kitchens on Canal Road continue to function alongside the new development.