Aldridge business helping to remove a billion tonnes of CO2

The 109-year-old family business, which has been in continuous operation since 1914, was contacted by scientists from UNDO, a global carbon removal company founded in Scotland.

UNDO champions a pioneering carbon dioxide removal process that uses enhanced rock weathering, a geological process which locks away billions of tonnes of CO₂ over hundreds of thousands of years.

UNDO commissioned S Jones Containers to develop specially made containerised laboratories that can be shipped around the world to help demonstrate the effectiveness of the new technology. This research is fundamental to demonstrating the carbon capture benefits of enhanced weathering in a real-world environment.

Rob Palmer, head of emerging technology at UNDO, said: “To enable the work at UNDO to be scalable, it seemed like a natural choice to opt for containerised laboratories that could move around the country to whichever site we need it. As well as conducting our own research, we fund other environmental research projects so having a lab space that is portable means we can provide resources for third party teams to conduct their research too.

“Working with S Jones Containers on this project was a pleasure. The conversions team were enthusiastic about the project and took the time to understand our specific needs for the units, such as a metal free interior for one lab. They were flexible to our requests and produced two functional lab spaces for our team to carry out vital sustainability testing for years to come.”

Andrew Capella, conversions general manager at S Jones Containers, said: “Converted shipping containers are well suited for remote scientific projects and industrial facilities. Not only do they offer flexibility in regard to design, but they are sturdy and can be transported between sites. A bricks and mortar building doesn’t offer much in the way of flexibility, and it certainly can’t be moved around, so containerising a lab makes perfect sense for researchers out in the field.

“It’s great to see the work that UNDO does to help save the planet, and the S Jones conversions team are proud to have been able to contribute to its research efforts with our bespoke container laboratories.”