Food producer deploys zero-emission TRUs
Cranswick, one of the United Kingdom’s largest farm-to-fork food producers, recently took delivery of multiple Sunswap battery- and solar-powered transport refrigeration units (TRUs) at its Preston site in Northern England.
For companies with ambitious sustainability targets, transport refrigeration represents a significant challenge and an immediate opportunity. Traditional transport refrigeration burns thousands of liters of diesel a year, generating CO2 emissions and harmful local pollutants such as NOx and particulate matter.
Sunswap enables the elimination of these emissions while reducing operational costs, the company reported.
“Cranswick joins the growing number of operators choosing zero-emission refrigeration for U.K. food manufacturing,” Sunswap CEO Michael Lowe said in a news release. “What’s significant here is that Cranswick didn’t just compare us to standard diesel. They compared Endurance against their existing HVO solution, and the operational benefits were compelling.
“This shows that even companies already investing in lower-carbon fuels can achieve breakthrough improvements with purpose-built electric refrigeration.”
When Cranswick ran Endurance in their own operations in 2024, Endurance demonstrated 81% lower running costs and 43% total cost savings compared to diesel refrigeration, the companies said. Additionally, when tested against HVO fuel—already a cleaner alternative to standard diesel—Sunswap still came out ahead, eliminating all NOx and particulate emissions while maintaining the cost advantages.
The new Endurance units will be used to transport temperature-sensitive meat products from Cranswick’s manufacturing facilities to retailers across the U.K.
“Integrating Sunswap’s zero-emission refrigeration technology aligns perfectly with our Second Nature sustainability commitments,” said Gary Hewson, Cranswick transport manager. “Beyond the benefits of direct emissions reduction, the operational cost savings and performance reliability made this a sound business decision that supports our progress toward our science-based targets.”