UK: Oatly Unveils Plans to Open Its First UK Factory

Oatly, the Swedish firm behind the namesake dairy-alternative milk, has announced plans to open its first UK factory at the beginning of 2023.

With a forecast capacity of 450 million litres production of oat milk per year, the new factory is said to be one of the largest plant-based dairy factories in the world and is expected to supply Peterborough area, where it is to be located.

Oatly has committed to an “efficient use of resources and minimal negative impact on the planet”, targeting its new facilities to use 100% renewable energy, and decrease its energy consumption, water consumption, and waste by 75% each by 2029 (compared to Oatly’s environmental footprint in 2019). Furthermore, all oats used there will be sourced locally across the UK.

Commenting on the news, Oatly UK General Manager, Ishen Paran, said: “UK is a really important driver of the global plant-based movement, with a growing demand for Oatly across the country, and we’re excited to supply this increased demand.”

In a statement, Chief Supply Chain Officer, Johan Rabe, added: “We look forward to supplying the UK with more oat drink – we’re even more excited to do it in a sustainable way. Like everything we do at Oatly, we’ve ensured that sustainability is core to our factory planning. Everything, from the sourcing of our oats, to the production of our product range specifically designed for humans, has sustainability at the heart of it.”

Source: Oatly Press Release