Happy Eggs, the UK’s responsibly-sourced egg brand, is taking its commitment to sustainability beyond the farm gate as parent company Noble Foods has begun rolling out the first of 40 Sunswap Endurance zero-emission transport refrigeration units.
The adoption of battery and solar-powered refrigeration technology directly supports Noble Foods’ ambitious Net Zero commitments and follows successful trials that confirmed the technology could reduce fleet CO2 emissions by up to 3,120 tonnes over the units’ lifetime.
Transport refrigeration units are essential for maintaining food quality during transportation, but traditional solutions rely on diesel to power the refrigeration process, creating a significant source of emissions in the food industry supply chain.
While the food industry faces mounting pressure to reduce its environmental impact, it must simultaneously maintain strict temperature control and food safety standards.
Recognising that Sunswap Endurance could support its ambitious sustainability goals, Noble Foods chose to implement the battery and solar-powered solution across its fleet. The Endurance units deliver zero-emission refrigeration while maintaining the strict temperature control essential for egg quality. Particularly valuable for Noble Foods’ rural routes, the Sunswap units can generate the majority of there cooling power from the integrated solar panels on the trailer roof, with the remainder supplied by grid electricity during routine loading and unloading operations.
“This partnership with Sunswap represents a meaningful step in our journey toward our Net Zero commitments,” said Glenn Evans, Group Head of Sustainability. “The technology has proven capable of maintaining the precise temperature control essential for egg quality while significantly reducing our transport emissions. This supports both our sustainability objectives and the green credentials of consumer-facing brands such as Happy Eggs.”
Following rigorous testing, the Sunswap Endurance units, which combine battery power with roof-mounted solar panels, achieved 100% reliability during the nine-day deployment, completing eight delivery cycles without operational disruptions despite the challenging rural routes.
Choosing Endurance doesn’t just advance Noble Foods’ environmental targets; the zero-emission technology will deliver operational savings of approximately £1.16 million, creating a compelling business case for sustainable transport that aligns perfectly with Noble Foods’ dual focus on environmental and commercial performance.
“Egg transportation presents unique challenges with its requirements for consistent temperature control across rural routes,” said Alastair Gough, Head of Business Development, Sunswap. “Noble Foods has shown real leadership by adopting this technology, proving that zero-emission refrigeration is ready to meet the specialised needs of agricultural logistics while delivering substantial cost and environmental benefits.”
By introducing these zero-emission refrigeration units, Noble Foods now leads the way for the entire egg production sector, showing competitors and retailers that sustainable cold chain operations can simultaneously reduce emissions, cut costs, and maintain the strict temperature control needed for premium egg products.
