Shaftesbury-based printer Blackmore, which recently won the Environmental Impact Award at the Dorset Business Awards in October 2023, has invested over £200,000 in solar panels on its building in the Longmead Industrial Estate.  The solar power energy is expected to produce 283,500 kwh of electricity per year, which equates to approximately a third of Blackmore’s electricity requirements.  The rest of the electricity requirement is topped up by its new renewable electricity contract with EDF, which is generated from a blend of sources, including hydro, wind, solar, biomass and landfill gas.  The solar panels and new renewable electricity contract now mean that 100% of Blackmore’s electricity is generated by renewable sources. 

The installation of the new solar panels, carried out by local company Empower Energy based on the Ferndown Industrial Estate, is expected to save 54,842kg of CO2 per year, compared to the previous power supply and is also expected to bring long-term cost savings, with an expected payback within 3 years.  The solar panel investment comes months after Blackmore invested over £3.5 million in 3 new state-of-the-art eco-friendly print presses and a new high efficiency air compressor.  These combined investments promote greener printing by reducing consumable and energy usage whilst lowering the carbon footprint of print. 

Managing Director of Blackmore, Andrew Robbins, said “A lot of thought and planning has gone into the solar project. We have been working on this for around 18 months from initial research to implementation.  The key benefit of installing the solar panels is that it will significantly reduce our carbon footprint, whilst providing long-term cost savings. The investment is a sizable development in a wider drive to limit our impact on the environment alongside being a responsible manufacturer and employer.  This means that every print project at Blackmore is now created using 100% renewable electricity, making our customer print projects even more eco-friendly than ever.” 

Andrew goes on to say “Following a structural survey of our building ahead of installing the solar panels, we decided to carry out some strengthening works to the frame and purlins, to ensure that even with maximum snow-loading or maintenance being carried out, there would be no structural issues or safety concerns.  We also decided to upgrade some of the electrics and install a new panel board to help future-proof the business as and when we may require supplies to additional machines.” 

Andrew adds “With the combination of our investments in solar panels, new state-of-the-art technology, energy supply and partnership with greener suppliers, we are well on our way to achieving our goal of net-zero this decade.” 

Formed in 1900, Blackmore has carved out a reputation as one of the UK’s leading green printers, winning several awards (including the Dorset Business Awards and Kodak Green Leaf Award) for its environmental credentials and also holds the ISO:14001 environmental certificate.  The company is committed to achieving net-zero this decade. Blackmore works with a broad range of clients from large corporate companies and world-renowned charitable organisations to local, small-scale businesses.  Blackmore is also working with local and national businesses on its new packaging print service. 

For more information about Blackmore, please visit https://www.blackmore.co.uk/