Sysco has opened its £23 million Sysco Belfast facility and outlined a raft of green measures aimed at setting a benchmark for a cleaner supply chain across the island of Ireland.

Built to BREEAM standards, the site includes on-site solar generation, rainwater harvesting, a CO₂-based refrigeration system, dedicated Hydrotreated Vegetable Oil (HVO) pumps to fuel delivery vehicles, and biodiversity enhancements, underscoring the company's environmental commitments.

Mark Lee, Chief Executive of Sysco Ireland, said: "At Sysco, sustainability is a core value and a business imperative. From how we power our fleet to how we build our facilities, we're making strategic, long-term decisions that support a more sustainable future for our customers, colleagues, and communities. The sustainability initiatives in Sysco Belfast are part of our wider commitment to reducing our own operational impact while supporting customers achieve their sustainability goals."

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Building on the installation of 2,640 panels at Sysco's Dublin site, Belfast now has 2,600 high‑efficiency solar panels expected to generate 16% of the site's annual electricity demand. Sustainable water systems, including rainwater harvesting, will reduce dependence on mains supply.

A natural refrigeration system with a global warming potential (GWP) of just 1—compared with traditional systems with GWPs above 3,000—has been installed. It is designed to be energy efficient and repurposes waste heat to provide underfloor heating and hot water.

As part of a wider decarbonisation plan, the company—whose 400‑vehicle fleet serves more than 10,000 customers across Ireland—is rolling out HVO fuel. This year, over 20% of the Northern Ireland fleet will run on HVO, with a target of 55% fleet coverage across Ireland by the end of 2027.

Once fully implemented, the shift is expected to cut scope 1 emissions by about 6,800 tonnes of CO₂ equivalent. These actions support the wider Sysco Science Based Target to reduce scope 1 and 2 emissions by 27.5% by 2030.