Whatever your thoughts on Westons Cider, it’s still got to be good news that the mass producer has announced that is now using its leftover apple pomace to create the carbon dioxide that it uses for its Henry Westons and Stowford Press ciders.

The Herefordshire-based cider maker has created what it calls a ‘complete circle’ for its CO2 requirements after seeking out a new sourcing solution following last year’s severe shortages.

“By effectively generating our own CO2 from our left-over apple pomace, not only are we guaranteeing our own long-term supply, we are also meeting our own sustainability objectives,” said Darryl Hinksman, Head of Business Development at Westons. “This will immediately remove 10,000 road miles a year from our supply chain.”

The solution came about as a result of a new partnership with green energy specialist BioCarbonics and Hampton Bishop-based farmer Nicholas Layton, who have built a CO2 capture facility located just 10 miles away from Westons’ Much Marcle mill.  This partnership now uses the pomace left behind from pressing 29,500 tonnes of apples and converts it, along with other feedstocks, into sustainable CO2 and renewable methane through the process of anaerobic digestion.

Westons has built a second CO2 holding tank at its mill to ensure it always has enough gas on site to meet its needs.