Tiger Brands has reached a significant milestone in its multi-million-rand renewable energy programme, with seven agro-processing facilities across South Africa now generating solar power. The installations are operational across the Free State, Gauteng, North West and KwaZulu-Natal, contributing clean energy directly to production activities.
By Maphuti Mongatane, business development manager at African Farming
The latest site to come online is the company’s Culinary manufacturing facility in Boksburg, Gauteng. Through a solar power purchase agreement with renewable energy producer Solar Africa, the facility now benefits from a 1.9MWh solar installation that began generating clean energy in May this year.
“Our investment in renewable energy is about building a more resilient and sustainable manufacturing footprint while supporting South Africa’s transition to a lower-carbon economy,” says Praveen Balgobind, Chief Manufacturing Officer at Tiger Brands.
According to Balgobind, solar energy is already helping several manufacturing facilities reduce their dependence on traditional electricity sources while improving operational efficiency. He emphasises that the current rollout represents only one aspect of a broader renewable energy strategy that will continue to evolve over the coming years.
The company’s renewable energy ambitions are aligned with its 2030 Environmental Stewardship Targets. By the end of the decade, Tiger Brands aims to source 31% of its electrical energy requirements from renewable sources, while reducing carbon emissions and improving energy efficiency by 30%.
However, renewable energy generation is only one piece of the puzzle. Tiger Brands has also implemented energy-efficiency initiatives across its operations, including detailed site assessments, advanced measurement and metering systems, and targeted interventions to reduce energy consumption.
“We are avoiding a blanket approach in favour of site-specific assessments. Our goal is to deploy tailored innovations and initiatives that address the unique needs of each location while systematically eliminating energy inefficiencies,” says Balgobind.
Also read: Tiger Brands receives season’s first bean crop from NW smallholder farmers
Expanding renewable energy through wheeling agreements
Tiger Brands is also looking beyond onsite solar generation to further strengthen its renewable energy portfolio.
Earlier this year, the company signed an electricity wheeling agreement with renewable energy supplier Apollo Africa. The agreement will enable renewable electricity generated elsewhere in the country to be transmitted through South Africa’s national grid and supplied to Tiger Brands manufacturing facilities in Gauteng from 2028. Sites supplied via the Ekurhuleni Municipality are expected to receive approximately 60% of their electricity requirements from renewable sources by 2028.
With seven sites already generating solar power and a wheeling agreement in place for 2028, Tiger Brands is translating sustainability targets into measurable action.
Tiger Brands’ 2030 Environmental Stewardship Targets
- Reduce water and energy intensity by 30%
- Reduce carbon emissions by 30%
- Source 31% of electrical energy from renewable sources
- Achieve zero waste to landfill at all sites
- Reduce production food waste by 50%
- Ensure 80% of plastic packaging is recyclable or compostable
- Achieve 25% recycled content in PET packaging
Also read:
The small white bean’s journey – from soil to KOO Baked Beans
How Tiger Brands is helping to localise production
