East of England Co-op receives top sustainability award for eco-friendly Travel branch pod

The East of England Co-op has announced that its innovative and sustainable travel pod in Brightlingsea has been awarded Gold status by the Carbon Charter.

The Carbon Charter’s prestigious accreditation recognises organisations leading the way in environmental responsibility, and the retailer's Brightlingsea Travel pod has been celebrated as a model of sustainable retail infrastructure.

Opened in December 2024 as the new home of the East of England Co-op Travel’s Brightlingsea branch on Samsons Road, the pod was developed in collaboration with modular design specialists Podular Systems.

Purpose-built with the environment in mind, the pod, which is the first of its kind for the retailer, incorporates a range of cutting-edge features to minimise carbon impact, including solar power, high spec primary and secondary insulations as part of its structure, air-source heat pumps and an A+ energy performance rating.

Steven Fendley, Head of Sustainability for the East of England Co-op said: "Achieving Gold Carbon Charter status for our Brightlingsea travel pod is a milestone we’re incredibly proud of.

"This recognition reflects our continued efforts to operate responsibly and find innovative ways to lower our environmental footprint while still delivering great service to our members and customers."

Debbie Wilby, Branch Manager for Brightlingsea Travel, said: “Our customers are absolutely loving the new space, and it is a pleasure to receive so many positive comments.

“We’re all really enjoying the office it’s such a pleasure to come to work now and it’s a pleasure to talk to customers about the solar panels and eco-friendly our new branch is.”

Daniel Hurcombe, Managing Director for Podular Systems added: “We were delighted to be nominated by the East of England Co-op to deliver their new Net Zero Travel Agency.

“The timing of the project was a little challenging, however, the team were a pleasure to work with, ensuring that hand over was achieved as per the deadline.

“We are proud to be a small part of East of England Co-op’s long-term sustainability strategy and of the team effort which achieved Gold status by the Carbon Charter.”

The East of England Co-op is the largest independent retailer in East Anglia with over 200 Food stores, Travel branches and local Funeral Service branches across Essex, Suffolk, Norfolk, Cambridgeshire and Hertfordshire.