Snack producer Pringles has equipped its distribution centre in Mechelen with one of the largest solar roofs in Belgium. The 13,000 solar panels account for an area of 63,000 sqm and a peak capacity of 8,000 kWp.
Distribution centre as neighbour
Last year, Pringles owner Kellanova (formerly Kellogg’s) opened a distribution centre next to the motorway Antwerp-Brussels, across the railway line from the existing Pringles factory. At the time, the aim was to fill the roof with solar panels to achieve the sustainability label BREEAM Excellent.
The plant should provide seven gigawatt hours of electricity annually, comparable to the consumption of about 2,000 households. A new cable under the railway line feeds the energy directly to the plant, which now complies with new regional regulations requiring large corporate consumers to install solar panels by April 2026.
Future-proof thanks to series of investments
The multinational points out that the investment in solar panels is only a part of a whole series of sustainability measures: for instance, the introduction of one central distribution centre was already a big step forward compared to the situation before, when five smaller distribution centres were in use – which, of course, required much more traffic. An afterburner (which reduced CO2 emissions by 35 %) and a water recovery system are also part of that list.
In February, the plant was already awarded the Belgian ‘Factory of the Future 2025’ label, with which technology federation Agoria wants to give kudos to companies it believes excel in innovation, digitisation and sustainability.
