Innscor Africa plans 25MW solar rollout
STAFF WRITER
Innscor Africa Limited has unveiled an ambitious plan to add 25 megawatts (MW) of solar capacity over the next two years, a strategic move designed to secure energy independence and curb rising carbon emissions caused by reliance on backup diesel generators.
The diversified industrial conglomerate highlighted this renewable energy drive in its 2025 annual report, emphasizing a dual focus on extensive solar rollout and a “zero waste to landfill” target.
The push for renewables comes as the group faces the operational realities of Zimbabwe’s power stability issues.
While Innscor is aggressively pursuing green energy, the report noted a paradox in its emissions data: while grid instability lowered indirect emissions, it forced a heavy reliance on diesel generators.
Consequently, the group’s direct emissions surged by 12% to 65,405 tonnes of CO2e in 2025. This increase was driven by a 66% spike in diesel consumption for power generation compared to the previous year. The planned expansion of solar capacity is the company’s primary strategy to reverse this trend and reduce its carbon footprint.
Innscor has already commissioned 6 MW of solar power across its facilities as of June 2025. Major projects currently defining the group’s energy landscape include; a 2.65 MW rooftop system at the National Foods Aspindale site, projected to cover 29% of the facility’s power needs, a 1.3 MW system at Natpak’s Plymouth Road site and a 510 kW system at Kelso Road and Solar arrays installed at Profeeds’ 54 branches nationwide
The group is also conducting a feasibility study for a 1.72 MW setup at Colcom Foods.
Beyond energy, Innscor reported significant strides in its “circular economy” model, recovering, reusing, or recycling 87.99% of its waste in 2025.
Innovation in recycling has turned potential landfill waste into usable products. Notable achievements include converting 370 tonnes of waste paper into over 12 million egg trays and recycling 44 tonnes of bread crates into 27,500 new crates through a partnership between Baker’s Inn and Natpak. Additionally, Natpak produced 1,150 tonnes of recycled plastic pellets, nearly half of which were utilized for black sheeting.
Under its “Empower Tomorrow” initiative, the group reported a Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) expenditure of US$1.9 million. Key interventions included: screening 238 children for Cleft Lip and Palate, resulting in 162 corrective surgeries. serving over 1.2 million meals through the Prodairy feeding programme and empowering 808 vendors with “Fizzi Push Carts” and integrating small-scale farmers, with 20 dairy farms now supplying 100% of Prodairy’s milk.
The group, which now employs 11,445 people, reported that women constitute 20% of the staff and hold 27% of senior roles. To support the local economy, half of the group’s procurement was sourced locally. Employee welfare initiatives included US$703,040 paid out in dividends from the Employee Share Trust.
Looking ahead to 2026, Innscor aims to navigate ongoing operational challenges by strengthening supply chain sustainability and finalizing its transition to a 25 MW solar capacity.
