Impact International, a leading manufacturer of squeeze tubes for food, cosmetics, personal care and pharmaceutical industries, has officially launched an industrial solar farm in Sydney at its Smithfield facility.

The 290 kW solar farm will supply 100% of the power for the manufacturing site while the sun shines, eliminating 300 tonnes of CO2 emissions annually and generating 395 MWh’s of electricity per year, enough to supply all the power needs of 90 Australian homes.

Smart Commercial Solar designed and installed the rooftop system, while 5B deployed 120kW of Maverick ground mounts, a world-first technology developed and manufactured in Alexandria, Sydney.

“Impact has shown that solar is not only commercially viable for industrial operations but also has critical benefits for the entire supply chain.  Increasingly being able to say that your energy was generated on-site from the sun is becoming a sought after business benefit,” said Huon Hoogesteger, founder of Smart Commercial Solar.

5B’s Maverick solar array is also readily compatible with energy storage, so businesses can save the extra energy they produce.

“Our technology makes it easier and more affordable than ever for industrial users to include solar in their energy mix,” 5B CEO Chris McGrath said. “Coupled with increasingly affordable energy storage, it will help remove some pressure from a business’ bottom line.”

The system was formally launched by the Hon Chris Bowen MP, the current Shadow Treasurer of Australia, and the Hon Dr. Hugh McDermott MP.

Hon Chris Bowen MP said: “What an impressive story Impact International’s is, from when Dusan Lajovic started in Smithfield sixty years ago. It is great to see the firm modernising and taking its facilities to the next level and installing solar energy in this impressive way.”

Hon Dr. Hugh McDermott MP said: “Impact International is a great, long-standing family-owned business in our area, which is investing in new technology. This sort of local innovation is not only bringing money and opportunities into the area – it’s the future of skilled employment for locals in Smithfield.”

The solar installation is part of an ambitious sustainability program that has seen Impact International update motors to more energy efficient models, re-design its factory layout to improve production efficiency, install smarter lighting and change how it schedules production to further reduce energy consumption.

“Our decision to boldly invest in green energy comes from our commitment to our customers for whom sustainability deeply matters. Our customers choose Impact because of our quality, product knowledge, service and the superior barrier properties of our tubes. In other words, they care greatly about the quality of the tubes they use. By extension the energy that is used to produce these tubes really matters.  We want to add to our customers’ story of quality and care —our groundbreaking solar farm does exactly that,” said Aleks Lajovic, Managing Director, Impact International.

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