Multimillion-pound chip shop supplier Henry Colbeck Limited has begun refining biofuel from waste vegetable oil and fats for use in its 30-strong lorry fleet

The great British fish and chip industry may seem an unlikely sector to be at the forefront of environmental innovation but new techniques are being used to refine waste oil and fats from chip shops to produce biofuel.

Henry Colbeck Limited is the oldest independent supplier to the UK’s chip shops, having been founded in 1893. Delivering everything from cooking oil to fish and curry, the company has a turnover of £36.5 million.

However, in a market where competition is fierce and environmental legislation increasingly tough, the Alliance & Leicester Commercial Bank customer has identified biofuel production as an activity that will help to meet its environmental and business goals in the future.

Businesses such as chip shops now face fines of up to £5,000 or up to six months in prison for repeatedly releasing oil and fat into drains so they need an effective method of disposal. Henry Colbeck recognised the need to provide this service or face losing customers to others who would.

With collections underway, the company decided to invest in a new facility at its Gateshead headquarters to refine the oil and fats into biofuel. The fuel is used in its fleet of 30 lorries based in Gateshead and its depot in Coatbridge, near Glasgow. The vehicles use a blend of 95% diesel and 5% biofuel, helping to cut the cost of running the fleet.

An important factor in the decision to develop the fuel is the belief that it will reduce the company’s tax liability in future as carbon usage is increasingly taxed.

The scheme is among a number of environmental initiatives taken by the company, which only sources fish from sustainable fisheries and has recently introduced biodegradable packaging.

Alliance & Leicester Commercial Bank supports Henry Colbeck’s rapidly evolving business model with services such as cash handling facilities, which enable the company to deal efficiently with the large volume of cash payments from chip shops for deliveries. The Bank also provides finance for vehicle purchases and helps to keep the cost of importing products such as fish from abroad as low as possible through its foreign exchange service.

Sales and Marketing Director Duncan McLean says: “We have used Alliance & Leicester Commercial Bank for cash handling for quite a few years and I think they are acknowledged as one of the leaders in this field. In addition, the Bank provides financing for our vehicles and foreign exchange services because we are importing from abroad.

“We work closely with Alliance & Leicester Commercial Bank and they ensure that we are aware of various products and services that are relevant to our business. We get a good, personal service.”

To find out more about Henry Colbeck Limited, click HERE

« Back to home