Lincolnshire farmer becomes first UK fresh produce supplier to adopt battery and solar-powered refrigeration, cutting transport costs by 78% while maintaining farm-fresh quality, and seeing remarkable performance from solar during operation.
In a UK first for agricultural logistics, Lincolnshire-based Staples Vegetables has integrated battery and solar-powered refrigeration into their fleet, demonstrating how British farming is modernising to meet consumer demand for locally-sourced, sustainable produce.
The farming business, which supplies major retailers with British-grown brassicas, leeks, potatoes and sweetcorn, has integrated two Sunswap Endurance units into its fleet. The zero-emission technology maintains precise temperature control for fresh brassicas while travelling on the Gray & Adam’s long-wheel base 15.65m trailer.
Staples expects to save 78% on operational costs compared to running diesel transport refrigeration units, with total cost of ownership reducing by 27% over ten years. The two units will eliminate 256 tonnes of CO2 emissions over the next decade – equivalent to removing 18 typical UK cars from the road annually.
The proof came in summer 2023, during a 12-days trial. Endurance maintained optimal temperatures despite field heat, when produce loaded straight from summer fields can be significantly warmer than the required transport temperature. This performance led Staples to invest in the battery and solar-powered technology into their fleet.
Since going live in June 2025, the Endurance units have drawn 96% of their power directly from solar – even during 30°C summer heat when cooling demands peak – completely eliminating their need for grid charging.
Vernon Read, Managing Director at Staples Vegetables, said, ” These units will save us thousands of litres of diesel annually while keeping our British brassicas farm-fresh from field to fork. In today’s market, any supplier not seriously evaluating this technology risks being left behind by both retailers and consumers demanding lower carbon footprints.”
Alastair Gough, Head of Business Development at Sunswap, “Staples Vegetables proves you don’t choose between sustainability and the bottom line – you get both with better technology. We’ve engineered transport refrigeration from the ground up: zero emissions, yes, but also intelligent systems collecting 1,000 data points to prevent breakdowns before they happen and cloud connected so the fridge gets better over time, not worse. This is transport refrigeration for the 21st century – smarter, cleaner, and more profitable.”
This investment builds on Staples Vegetables’ existing sustainability credentials. The company already operates two anaerobic digestion plants that make them 100% self-sufficient in green electricity, with surplus exported to the grid.
This deployment comes as consumers increasingly prioritise British-grown produce with demonstrable sustainability credentials, driving major retailers to demand concrete emissions reductions from their supply chains. With transport refrigeration typically burning 4,000-5,000 litres of diesel annually per unit – producers like Staples are discovering that zero-emission transport delivers both the environmental credentials consumers want and the measurable carbon reductions retailers now require.
The Sunswap units are manufactured at the company’s expanded facility in Leatherhead, Surrey, demonstrating how British engineering and manufacturing can support the agricultural sector’s transformation. Sunswap’s technology hit British roads in 2024 and has now been adopted by well-known brands such as Tesco, Birds Eye, and Samworth Brothers.
About Sunswap
Sunswap is a British engineering company developing and manufacturing zero-emission transport refrigeration technology. Based in Leatherhead, Surrey, Sunswap has combined advanced battery storage with solar to replace diesel-powered refrigeration units. Endurance is now in operation with major retailers, operators and food producers such as Tesco, Birds Eye, Samworth Brothers, and DFDS – enabling fleet operators to reduce both emissions and operating costs while maintaining reliable temperature control.
For more information, visit www.sunswap.co.uk
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