Gloucester packaging company boosts green credentials with HSBC UK support

A family-run business in Gloucestershire has secured a £400,000 finance package from HSBC UK to help it achieve its sustainability goals with a new solar panel system.

Leeways Packaging Services, which produces 100 per cent recyclable plastic trays for food manufacturers across the UK, has used to HSBC UK funding to install a 130,680 square feet solar panel system, one of the largest in the region.

The new eco-friendly solar panels, which sit next to the company’s headquarters in Gloucester, will generate up to 25 per cent of the business’s power, as well as providing a more cost-efficient energy system.

The company manufactures up to 500 million plastic trays every year, which are 100 per cent recyclable and made from over 85 per cent recycled materials.

Adam Walding, Director of Leeways Packaging Services, said: “We’re passionate about sustainability and making sure the impact we have on the environment is as limited as possible, so the new solar panelling system is a huge landmark in achieving these goals.”

“Our HSBC UK Relationship Manager, Mark Wilton, has been incredibly supportive of our business ambitions and the funding has given the business a huge boost.”

James Shepherd, Head of Corporate Banking for HSBC UK in Gloucestershire, said: “Adam and Lee are incredibly passionate business owners and we’re delighted to be supporting a family-run company which places so much value on sustainability.”

“With our support, the new solar panels will not only boost the business’s green credentials but will also enable it to drive down its day-to-day operating costs.”