2012 was a year when the Carlsberg Group continued to build on the strong progress made in 2011, so that it has now already reached or nearly reached most of its ambitious three-year environmental targets set for the end of 2013. During 2012, Carlsberg’s energy consumption decreased to 29.1 kW/hl and its water consumption was maintained at 3.3 hl water per hl beer produced. Thirteen of the group’s breweries now capture biogas from wastewater treatment operations and 60 out of 76 sites are ISO 14001-certified. Carlsberg has ring-fenced Eur25 million for investment in Russian environmental projects. The global brewer has also agreed a new strategy for sustainable packaging.

The Carlsberg Group employs more than 41,000 people and its products are sold in more than 150 markets. In 2012, the Carlsberg Group sold 120 million hectolitres of beer, which is about 36 billion bottles of beer.

Commenting on the 2012 performance, Morten Nielsen, Carlsberg’s Director of Corporate Social Responsibility, says: “Brewing requires a healthy environment. Most of our raw materials are ingredients which are sourced directly from nature, and we work targetedly to limit the environmental impact of our activities. We search for opportunities at every point in our value chain, be it ongoing research and development into our raw materials, ever-improving efficiency opportunities at our production sites, or more environmentally friendly ways of storing and transporting our products.”

Carlsberg’s operations in Asia are a good example of how Carlsberg is working hard to reduce its energy consumption. At a time when the company is taking over control of more and more Asian breweries, whose equipment tends to be old and require a lot of energy, Carlsberg is taking the necessary steps to reverse their environmental impact. At the Dali Brewery in China, the purchase of a new boiler, together with the collection of biogas from the wastewater treatment plant, helped reduce energy consumption by 28.5% in 2012. Carlsberg’s Gorkha Brewery in Nepal reduced its energy usage by 18.5% thanks to a series of initiatives, including the installation of one more boiler operating on rice husks, so that now 98% of its primary energy supply comes from renewable resources.

Morten Nielsen continues: “Another important milestone for the Carlsberg Group in 2012 was our decision to focus on making our packaging more sustainable. We have assessed that about 45% of our group’s CO2 emissions can be attributed to packaging and we’re exploring a range of solutions to ensure that we reduce this impact. As an important first step, we have introduced a Life Cycle Analysis tool and trained our people appropriately so that we can both measure and understand the environmental impact of our packaging and make fact-based decisions. We’re considering all aspects of the packaging chain, from cradle to cradle, and rethinking the way that the group and its suppliers approach packaging, based around four core principles – reduce, reuse, recycle and rethink.”

Carlsberg’s responsibility and impact go well beyond the brewery gates. It is only by engaging and working alongside its various partners that the group can make a significant CSR improvement and increase its positive impact throughout the value chain.

2012 was the third year in which Carlsberg’s Polish business co-operated with major retailers in setting up a waste collection scheme, encouraging consumers to bring back household packaging waste, such as cans, glass and plastic bottles, and in return they received plant seedlings. The results are impressive. In collaboration with 20 Tesco hypermarkets and 30 Biedronka discount stores across 20 cites inPoland, 242 tonnes of waste packaging have been collected during May and June over the past three years. Not only has the project increased the collection of bottles and cans by raising awareness, but it has improved waste segregation, recycling and the promotion of returnable bottles.

In 2012, Carlsberg and its Russian business, Baltika Breweries, signed a five-year agreement to invest Eur25 million, in partnership with the United Nations Industrial Development Organisation (UNIDO), to co-operate closely and jointly develop projects in the Russian Federation which will have more environmentally sustainable outcomes. This public-private partnership is the first of its kind in Russia and represents a new way of thinking about environmental sustainability.

Morten Nielsen concludes: “We’re satisfied with what has already been achieved but recognise there is more to do. At the end of 2013, we’ll be setting ourselves new three-year targets for further reducing energy and water consumption and CO2 emissions. We’ll also be setting ourselves demanding targets in terms of what can be achieved as our sustainable packaging programme gains momentum.”

Idhammar Systems, leading provider of total productive maintenance and manufacturing software including OEE and CMMS systems announce the new Energy Monitor which combined with a few discrete energy CT meters could help manufacturers significantly reduce energy costs. The Idhammar Energy Monitor is fully integrated with the Idhammar OEE system and the shop floor, which allows it to monitor production and energy performance in real time; allowing clear monitoring, measurement and reporting of losses as well as providing a clear link between production performance and energy consumption.

The Idhammar OEE Management System feeds A,P & Q* data into the energy monitor, providing automatic measurement, monitoring and clear reporting tools to enable forward-thinking manufacturers like Hovis, to identify areas of waste and evaluate the actions needed to improve both production and efficiency.

*OEE elements of Availability, Performance and Quality

Real Time Intelligence and Reporting including the ability to quickly drill down to detailed equipment and production order data in order to perform root cause analysis helps manufacturers support decision making to determine the factors that contribute to wasted energy helping contribute to the bottom line.

John Roberts, Idhammars’ Managing Director – Operations comments:

“The benefits of using OEE to drive economic, social and environmental improvements to the bottom line are proven. A number of production related factors contribute to wasted energy and every day unplanned production stops, slow running equipment, lack of materials and wrong date codes cause waste, not only impacting productivity, but also impacting energy efficiency.”

Hovis, the bread producing division of Premier Foods, has found that by harnessing the power of an OEE Management System to gain greater production efficiency they have been able to reduce their annual gas budget by 7%, worth a saving of £400,000 pounds a year. Bob King, previously Manufacturing Director for Hovis now Group Head of Operational Excellence for Premier Foods said:

“In addition to savings in labour unit cost and product wastage, we have achieved significant savings in energy usage.  Optimised OEE has a hugely beneficial impact on our energy-efficiency programme which supports our environmental objectives.”

The full Energy Monitor datasheet is available for download: 

http://www.idhammarsystems.com/resource%20library/overview/datasheets/idhammar%20oee%20energy%20monitor/

 About the Idhammar Overall Equipment Effectiveness (OEE) System:

Idhammar’s OEE System provides the foundation to measure, monitor and improve your OEE enabling you to discover your loss structure, convert losses to cash, cost justify improvements and monitor them to resolution.

OEE Management Systems also, using the energy monitor, enable companies to discover ways to enhance their energy efficiency way beyond conventional energy saving programmes with dramatic results on their carbon footprint.

About Idhammar Systems Ltd:

Idhammar Systems is a leading European provider of manufacturing efficiency solutions, including Overall Equipment Effectiveness (OEE) and Maintenance Management Systems (MMS) which have proven their worth with a wide-range of clients in prominent blue-chip companies, from food to pharmaceutical, chemical, print, transport, energy and many more.  Headquartered in Bristol, UK, Idhammar also has offices in Scandinavia and Benelux.

By Dr Christoph Reichel, Plant Engineering, Measuring Systems at TUV SUD Industrie Service

Manufacturers and operators of machinery and equipment for the beverage industry must choose a highly comprehensive approach when it comes to energy and media efficiency, starting from the delivery of raw materials, auxiliaries and supplies and optimising water systems through to the treatment of waste water or the development of hygiene and sanitation systems. What is needed are reasonable standards governing operations and design processes. TÜV SÜD’s “Energy and Media Efficiency, Environmental Sustainability” standard implemented at Krones AG is one good practice example.

Dr Christoph Reichel, Plant Engineering, Measuring Systems at TUV SUD Industrie Service.

“People do not understand what a great source of revenue thrift is,” said Roman writer and philosopher Marcus Tullius Cicero. Today as topical as ever, the adage also applies to the beverage industry, where many components of machinery and equipment include potential savings. TÜV SÜD has developed a standard for assessing the energy and media efficiency of machines and equipment that also takes environmental sustainability into account. The standard uses the best available technology as a benchmark. The “Energy and Media Efficiency, Environmental Sustainability” (EME) standard thus facilitates the development of energy-efficient, resource-saving and environmentally friendly industrial systems and production processes.

To this end, the experts analyse the extent to which management has rooted the aspects of energy efficiency, resource efficiency and environmental compatibility in its operations or design process. After all, management and organisational structures must be such that employees operate or design machinery and equipment with the goal of achieving maximum efficiency. To reach this goal, companies need an energy officer and must establish continuous monitoring of the state of the art and initial and continued training measures to raise staff awareness of these three aspects, which are imperative to ensure that potential areas of saving are identified and used to the full throughout all levels.

In step 2, TÜV SÜD’s experts then examine the machines and their components, focusing on key issues such as: Are modern high-efficiency or low-energy drive systems and pumps used, and do they have the optimum dimensions for the applications in question? Does the company make intelligent use of waste heat in further processes? Is the input of resources known, and has the company already taken measures to minimise these quantities? The experts then examine the total system at system level, checking whether the sum total of all components permits further savings and whether savings are actually exploited to the full – by using cyclic processes for example. When the company fulfils the efficiency criteria, individual or system certificates can be awarded. In the first case, the certificate analyses and confirms the characteristics of a specific machine. In the second case, TÜV SÜD’s experts test and certify the process in the company – similar to quality management certification. In this case, the certification process looks at the design and development process, but also at documentation and many other aspects.

For system certification, the manufacturer must prepare an EME policy, specific requirements and internal documented procedures that address all requirements of the EME standard. The employees will then develop and design the systems in conformity with the company’s policy and rate the finished machine using a point-scoring system against a detailed checklist based on company policy and the EME standard. Basically, the standard also demands continuous monitoring of, and alignment to, the best available technology. Only a machine that reaches the required minimum score in the strict internal assessment procedure can be labeled as a product of the certified process/system.

Case study: EME Standard at Krones

One practice example is Krones AG. The company plans, designs and manufactures process, filling, packaging and intralogistics solutions – machines and entire systems – for the beverage industry. Together with TÜV SÜD Krones has defined the industry-sector-specific enviro standard, which received the EME system certificate. In this context, Krones also considers the consumption of water and compressed air, lubricants, cleaning detergents and disinfectants, checking that the substances are also selected according to their environmental compatibility and only used in the precise amounts required. TÜV SÜD assessed the product development and manufacturing processes at Krones AG in accordance with the EME standard and found them to be in compliance with the requirements derived from the state of the art. Given this, Krones AG now holds independent certification confirming that its components and systems satisfy even the highest efficiency and environmental standards. In addition, the assessment discloses the energy demand, the consumption of water and other resources and requirements for further consumables specific for various operating conditions. This creates transparency in areas including costs in later operation, and sets standards against which the industry can measure itself.

The author: Dr Christoph Reichel, Plant Engineering, Measuring Systems at TUV SUD Industrie Service. Tel. +49 (0)89 5791 3384, Fax +49 (0)89 5791 3355, Email christoph.reichel@tuev-sued.de, Website www.tuev-sued.de/is.

Food and agribusiness companies are discovering innovative ways to create value from the waste that they produce, shifting the perception of ‘waste as a cost’ to ‘waste as a revenue’, according to a Rabobank report, Don’t Waste a Drop: Maximising the Value of F&A Waste Streams. This change has been enabled by the development of new technologies and the growing scale of food and agribusiness company operations.

Justin Sherrard, a renewable energy analyst at Rabobank, says: “More than 1 billion tonnes of organic waste is created in the food and agriculture sector each year, with almost 2,000 cubic km’s of water being used to produce this wasted food. While many F&A companies focus on minimising the amount of waste they produce and the associated costs, an increasing number of organisations are finding that waste can be a potential revenue stream, and are developing technologies to maximise this opportunity.”

Justin Sherrard adds: “There are now examples in all sectors and in all parts of the supply chain of waste being utilised to access new markets for energy and materials, and generate higher returns in the process. These range from animal feed and fertiliser to fuel for energy generation and the raw materials for bio-based materials such as plastics and chemicals.”

Rabobank’s report finds that:

* 20 of Nestlé’s 32 factories around the world get at least part of their energy from the 800,000 tonnes of coffee grounds the company produces as part of its processing operations. Nestlé now generates 3.5% of its energy production from this source.

* Starbucks is looking at the use of enzymes to break down food and coffee waste into materials that can be used to make a range of products including plastic.

* InScotland, Rothes Distillers produces heat and power from distillation of waste products that used to be sold as animal feed (when the market was there).

The renewed focus on food and agricultural waste is being driven by trends such as rising agricultural commodity prices, resource scarcity, growing regulatory pressure around waste disposal, company sustainability target opportunities and technological developments, all of which have combined to open up new opportunities along the entire supply chain.

Whilst there is no single path to success in creating wealth out of waste, Rabobank makes a number of recommendations:

* Ambition: getting the most out of your waste streams requires investment that may extend beyond operational budgets, so it is important that senior management are engaged, often through sustainability targets, is important.

* Understanding the resource: waste streams vary in quantity, quality, safety and other characteristics. Companies need to know the strengths and weaknesses of their waste streams – fibrous wastes are better suited for energy production, for example, while those high in proteins, sugar and starch can be used in bio-based products. Companies that lack scale can join forces to create new opportunities.

* Commercial maturity of technology: particularly important for separation and refining technologies.

* Co-location: partnerships are best managed close to the source of the waste, given the cost of transporting it. The nearer potential off-takers are to the waste, the lower the transport costs and the higher the margins. The higher the potential value of the waste stream, the less important this proximity is.

* Knowledge: companies that monitor waste management are usually better able to identify opportunities. Benchmarked sectors have an advantage here.

Tullibardine Distillery in Scotland is to become the first whisky distillery in the world to have its by-products converted into advanced biofuel, capable of powering vehicles fuelled by petrol or diesel. The Perthshire-based independent malt whisky producer has signed a memorandum of understanding with Celtic Renewables, an Edinburgh-based company which has developed the technology to produce biobutanol from the by-products of whisky production.

Tullibardine has the capacity to provide 6,500 tonnes of draff and 2 million of litres of pot ale, the by-products of whisky which are currently spread on agricultural fields, turned into animal feed or safely discharged into the sea under license, all at significant cost.

The distillery is currently supplying raw materials to help refine the conversion process at the Centre for Process Innovation (CPI) at Redcar, in Teesside.

Celtic Renewables, a spin-out company from the Biofuel Research Centre (BfRC) at Edinburgh Napier University, aims to build a processing plant in Scotland that will help grow a projected £60 million-a-year industry.

The project has the support of ministers who believe it can contribute to the Scottish Government’s target of reducing carbon emissions by 42% by 2020 as well as contributing to the EU mandated biofuel target of 10% by 2020.

Douglas Ross, the managing director of Tullibardine, which spends £250,000 disposing of its by-products every year, says: “We are delighted to be partnering Celtic Renewables in this innovative venture, the obvious benefits of which are environmental. It takes a cost to us and turns it into something that has social as well as commercial value.”

The pilot demonstration project, a first for Scotland, is being funded with the help of a £155,000 grant from Zero Waste Scotland.

While the original “proof-of-concept” research, conducted at Edinburgh Napier, was at a small lab-scale of three litres of pot ale, this industrial scale second phase testing at the CPI will systematically scale up to 10,000 litres.

“By piloting the fermentation at commercial scale we will demonstrate the viability of the process as a new and important industry of potential scale forScotland,” says Mark Simmers, CEO of Celtic Renewables. Because distilleries currently produce around three times more pot ale than draff, the company is also considering other sustainable sources of sugar-rich raw materials, such as the by-products from breweries or paper waste, to help it convert the excess into biofuel.

“If we were to use all the by-products from Scottish distilleries, it would still leave us with almost 1.5 billion litres of pot ale. We could make at least the same volume of fuels again by using alternative waste or residue material such as paper and brewery waste,” adds Mark Simmers.

Organic waste group TEG has secured funding to construct a £21m waste facility at East London’s Dagenham Dock.

The facility will be capable of processing 49,000 tonnes per annum of food and green waste via AD and In-vessel composting (IVC) technology on a 4.7 acre site.

On site will be the first AD plant of its kind in the capital which will generate approximately 1.4MW of electricity, sufficient to power around 2,000 homes.

The company also claims it will produce over 36,000 tonnes per year of AD digestate and 14,000 tonnes per year of compost for agricultural use.

The feedstock will come from source segregated food waste and mixed food and green waste produced by local households, commercial and manufacturing enterprises.

Foresight Group funds have committed £11m into a new Special Purpose Vehicle (SPV), TEG Biogas, to allow for the construction and operation of the new processing plant.

TEG will construct and operate the plant on behalf of the SPV under an Engineering, Procurement and Construction Contract (EPC Contract), which is expected to generate approximately £16m in revenues for TEG over the period of construction.

Work is due to commence in September 2012 and is scheduled for completion in the first quarter of 2014.

Manufacturers and operators of plants should choose a particularly comprehensive approach for energy and media efficiency. This takes into account the delivery of raw materials and supplies, optimisation of the water system, and treatment of waste water or design of disinfection systems. Reasonable standards for operations and design processes are needed.

Savings are hidden in many plant components. TÜV SÜD has developed the Energy and Media Efficiency, Environmental Sustainability (EME) standard for evaluating the energy and media efficiency of manufacturing plants. This also takes the environmental impact into account. The standard supports the development of energy and resource efficient- as well as environmentally friendly- industrial systems and manufacturing processes.

In a first step to certification the business integration of energy and resource efficiency and environmental friendly practices is assessed. This is done since corporate structures must ensure that employees operate plant facilities with regard to maximum efficiency. This requires, for example, a responsible officer of energy, the use and awareness of the best available technology and education and training to sensitise the staff to the three key aspects (Energy and Media Efficiency, and Environmental Sustainability). This is crucial to ensure that savings potential can be identified and tapped at all levels.

In a second step, TÜV SÜD experts examine the plant and its components. The focus lies on key questions like: Are modern drives and pumps with a high degree of efficiency and energy saving features installed and optimally dimensioned? Is waste heat used for other processes intelligently? Are the quantities of materials used known and have steps been taken to minimise them? Subsequently, the plant is assessed at the system level. Here it is analysed whether further savings are possible with the components and system as a whole. If the efficiency criteria are met, individual certificates or system certificates are awarded. In the first case, the properties of a specific machine is analysed and certified. In the second case, TÜV SÜD experts examine and certify overall business process.

Case Study

The Krones AG pushed through the development of efficient and environmentally sound production plants with their “Enviro program”. The company designs, develops and manufactures machines and complete plants in the areas of process, filling and packaging technology. The use of media, such as water and compressed air, as well as lubricants, detergents and disinfectant is taken into account and examined in reference to whether the substances selected according to their environmental impact and are optimally mixed. TÜV SÜD certified the development and production system of Krones AG according to the EME standard and thus found that they meet the requirements, derived from the use and awareness of best available technology. Energy, water, media consumption, and the need for additional resources for different operating conditions were determined. This creates transparency for the future costs of operations, and also sets a benchmark for the industry.

Official new data shows that today’s eggs contain more than 70% more vitamin D and double the amount of selenium than when previous analyses were carried out 30 years ago. Today’s eggs also contain around 20% less fat, more than 20% less saturated fat, around 13% fewer calories and more than 10% less cholesterol than previous surveys suggested.  An average medium egg now contains 66 calories (compared to the previous figure of 78 calories) and an average large egg 77 calories (previously 91 calories).

The data, produced by the UK Foodcomp project consortium, funded by the Department of Health as part of their rolling programme of nutrient analysis surveys, provides the first update on the nutrient content of eggs since the 1980s.

The new analysis found that two medium eggs can provide around two-thirds of the RDA (Recommended Daily Amount for EU labelling purposes) for vitamin D. The additional vitamin D found in eggs is particularly significant in the light of evidence suggesting that a large proportion of people in the UK have an inadequate supply of this vitamin.

It has been suggested that, in addition to the well-established role of vitamin D in bone health, this nutrient may also play a role in the immune system and beneficially influence the incidence of some cancers, cardiovascular disease and diabetes.

The increased selenium content of eggs is also of public health significance as UK selenium intakes have declined in recent years alongside a switch from North American to European wheat. Selenium is important in protecting cellular components such as DNA, lipids and proteins against oxidation.

The new analyses reveal that an average medium egg now contains around 177mg of cholesterol, although it is now acknowledged that cholesterol in foods such as eggs does not have a significant effect on blood cholesterol in most people. All major UK heart and health advisory bodies, including the British Heart Foundation, have already removed the previous limits on egg consumption linked to their cholesterol content.

The changes are believed to be the result of improvements to hens’ feed, an increase in the ratio of white:yolk in an average egg, and improved analytical methods since the last official Government analyses were carried out in the 1980s. Vegetable oils replaced meat and bonemeal in UK hens’ feed in the 1980s and it is believed that better quality oils, together with other enhancements to hens’ feed, have improved the hens’ absorption of fat-soluble vitamins and the take-up of nutrients.

Coca-Cola Hellenic has inaugurated advanced energy-efficient power generating capacity at its plant in Ukraine that will reduce CO2 emissions by more than 40% and will increase energy efficiency by more than 32% versus traditional power generation. The Combined Heat and Power (CHP) plant, which is located at the Coca-Cola Hellenic bottling facility in Kyiv region, was introduced in partnership with ContourGlobal, an international provider of efficient energy solutions. ContourGlobal has invested approximately Eur18 million in the project.

With electrical capacity of 6MW, the CHP plant supplies highly efficient clean electricity, heat, chilled water and CO2 for the soft drink production process. It is the only ‘quad generation’ plant in Ukraine.

Natural gas is the primary source of fuel for the twin Jenbacher engines which generate electricity. As they turn, they create heat which is captured to produce hot water for production use. This then passes through absorption chillers to provide chilled water.

The use of combined electricity, heat and cooling generation guarantees high efficiency in environmental, technical and financial terms.

George Nizharadze, senior vice president of ContourGlobal Solutions, comments: “This is the eighth project of its kind which we have built, commissioned and are going to operate in partnership with Coca-Cola Hellenic. This represents our commitment and capability in the development and operation of innovative cogeneration for industrial partners interested in long term, efficient, reliable and environmentally friendly sources of power generation,”

Working in partnership, Coca-Cola Hellenic and ContourGlobal have pledged to build a total of 20 CHP facilities in different countries by 2015. This marks the biggest CHP programme in the beverages industry and is expected to reduce global carbon emissions by 250,000 tonnes each year on completion.

Ball Packaging Europe, Krones and Klimasan have been recognised for their performance in quality, service, value and corporate responsibility and sustainability by Coca-Cola Enterprises and have been named as the soft drink group’s suppliers of the year 2012. Ball Packaging Europe won the Supplier of the Year Award, Krones was named Corporate Responsibility and Sustainability Supplier of the Year, and Klimasan received the Most Improved Supplier Award.

The CCE Supplier Award winners are identified through CCE’s Supplier Relationship Management (SRM) programme, which uses a rigorous scorecard process to measure performance, and the awards are based on the top-performing suppliers. Each CCE supplier is measured against criteria in four key areas (quality, service, value and corporate responsibility and sustainability).

Pictured (left to right): John Brock, Chairman and CEO, Coca-Cola Enterprises presents the Supplier of the year award to Thomas Haensch and Rob Miles, Ball Packaging Europe, together with David Cowell, VP Procurement, Coca-Cola Enterprises.

Performance is then reviewed by the CCE Procurement team to ensure that the value being delivered to CCE is closely aligned with the business’s broader corporate priorities, and to develop ongoing relationships. The SRM programme provides a formalised framework through which CCE develops joint action plans, and reviews activities and performance.

CCE is the sole licensed operator for products of The Coca-Cola Company in Belgium, continental France, Great Britain, Luxembourg, Monaco, the Netherlands, Norway and Sweden.

Ball Packaging Europe was credited for its strong track record of consistently understanding and delivering against the needs of CCE. Ball Packaging Europe delivered a high-volume supply performance including complex designs and packaging expectations. An Industry leader in lightweighting advances of cans and can ends, Ball Packaging Europe is currently working in partnership with CCE to develop, trial and implement the lightest possible 33cl can in the world.

Pictured (left to right): Hubert Patricot, President European Group, Coca-Cola Enterprises presents the CRS supplier award to Klaus Holler and Wolfgang Liebig, Krones, together with Kevin Parke, Director – Indirect Procurement, Coca-Cola Enterprises.

Krones was recognised as being a key contributor to reducing CCE’s carbon footprint through leading initiatives including air recovery systems for blow moulding machines; consumption data programs that detail usage of power, steam or heating water, fresh water, wastewater, emissions and product losses; and continued support of CCE lightweighting initiatives. Krones has developed its own CRS program that focuses on ecology, economy and ergonomics enabling the company to continually optimise its machine technology and promote resource economy.

Pictured (left to right): Stephen Moorhouse, VP & GM Supply Chain, Coca-Cola Enterprises presents the most improved supplier award to Ahmet Senocak, Klimasan, together with Dim Mozin, Director – Direct Procurement, Coca-Cola Enterprises.

Klimasan was praised for its customer-focused service delivering orders on-time and in-full and its commitment to improve the total life time costs of its products. The company has supported CCE’s non-HFC refrigerant policy by developing HC coolers for all models and partnered with CCE to incorporate a new range of highly efficient motors that will reduce the energy needs of the coolers and extend their useful lifetime.

The majority of food manufacturers are literally throwing away thousands of pounds every year in invisible energy, according to Star Refrigeration. The heating and cooling specialist claims that most food firms with refrigeration or air conditioning plants could be saving up to 40% on their annual energy bills. Star is launching a free online assessment through its website www.star-ref.co.uk to help food processors identify where significant cost savings could be achieved by recycling ‘invisible’ heat energy.

Don't Waste Your Waste – Star is urging food firms to take the heat out of refrigeration.

Star Refrigeration’s director of sales – Food Market, James Ward says: “Heat energy is invisible, so understandably it’s out of sight, out of mind for most businesses. Our key message is that when it comes to heating and cooling; ‘don’t waste your waste’. In most cases investing in heat recovery will significantly reduce energy consumption, cut costs and decrease carbon emissions.”

He adds: “Cooling systems extract heat from food and buildings then reject the heat into the atmosphere as waste. Food firms can now recover, boost and recycle this waste energy and enjoy massive long term financial benefits, thanks to the latest industrial heat pump technology.”

An online questionnaire on the Star website (www.star-ref.co.uk) examines the operating temperatures of heating and cooling systems within a food processing facility. This simple data provided is then analysed alongside current utility tariffs to identify potential heat pump applications and energy cost savings.

Star estimates that based on typical gas and electricity utility rates, industrial heat pumps offer a financial return on the original investment within five years. This payback time is significantly reduced if heat pumps are incorporated into new installations from the start.

James Ward says: “We believe there is a huge opportunity for heat recovery in the food manufacturing industry. Many facilities undertake cooling processes and also require large amounts of water to be heated, such as for equipment wash down.”

A world leader in cooling and heating system innovation, Star has developed a range of heat recovery solutions for small and large scale food processing applications. As an environmentally conscious supplier, Star’s heat pumps typically use natural refrigerants, such as ammonia and carbon dioxide (CO2) for efficient high-grade heat generation.

Recent developments such as Star’s Neatpump enable customers to harness the waste energy from cooling processes and convert it into heat for use within their business. Neatpump uses a low charge of natural ammonia refrigerant to simultaneously deliver chilled glycol for cooling processes and hot water at up to 900C utilising the waste heat.

In addition to the environmental benefits and reduced carbon footprint, Neatpump generates heat at 40% less cost than a gas burning boiler system. Neatpump’s advanced compressor technology and ultra low maintenance design ensures over 20 years of environmentally conscious service.

Another Star system, Envitherm, uses a supercritical CO2 heat pump to deliver chilled water at 6°C, whilst heating water to over 60°C.  Envitherm operates with natural CO2 refrigerant and delivers ‘free’ hot water with zero carbon emissions.

For more information, phone Star Refrigeration on 0141 638 7916, email star@star-ref.co.uk or visit www.star-ref.co.uk.

2011 was a defining year for the Carlsberg Group in terms of driving, accelerating and embedding its eight CSR areas across its operations around the world. This was recognised by the fact that Carlsberg was included in the top five of the 2011 Newsweek Green ranking for its respective category, scoring highest among global brewers in terms of environmental management and footprint.

Carlsberg’s eight CSR areas are: Environment, Health & Safety, Labour & Human Rights, Business Ethics, Marketing Communication, Community Engagement, Responsible Drinking and Responsible Sourcing. Last year Carlsberg succeeded in cutting its energy consumption by 9.3%, water consumption by 5.6% and CO2 emissions by 8.3%.

“We are pleased with the progress we are making in terms of integrating CSR throughout the value chain. We understand that our long term success depends not only on growing, but growing responsibly,” comments Janda Campos, vice-president corporate social responsibility and public affairs at Carlsberg Group. “2011 saw us reach some significant milestones across many of our local markets. One that stands out is in Russia, where our largest operation, Baltika Breweries, achieved an 18% reduction in specific energy in the St Petersburg brewery as a result of us introducing a programme targeting reduction of losses in steam supply lines and heat recovery.”

Other important developments for the Carlsberg Group in 2011 included the investment in a waste water recovery plant for its Hyderabad Brewery in India where the expected annual savings on water from the plant is expected to be 585,000hl. Improved performance was also achieved in Carlsberg’s Brewery in Huizhou (Guangdongprovince), China where the brewer reduced CO2 emissions by around 35% by the introduction of steam from boilers that are powered by biomass.

He continues: “While Carlsberg can take certain steps to reduce its carbon footprint, it is clear that a large proportion of our products’ carbon footprint is related to the production of products bought from suppliers such as packaging. In early 2011, in order to get better visibility on how to reduce the overall carbon footprint, our UK business introduced the Carlsberg Environmental Community and invited some of its biggest suppliers to join the Community, and work in partnership on ways to reduce carbon in the supply chain. The results are already impressive with Carlsberg UK achieving a 22% reduction in carbon emissions in 2011, compared to the previous year. The Carlsberg Environmental Community is a pilot programme for the Carlsberg Group.”

To receive your free sample copy of Food & Drink Business Europe please complete Form on our Subscription Page.

The US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has awarded PepsiCo’s US operations a 2012 Energy Star Sustained Excellence Award in recognition of the soft drinks and snacks manufacturer’s continued leadership in protecting the environment through energy efficiency. PepsiCo, which has been recognised by the Energy Star programme since 2006, is being honoured for its long-term commitment to energy efficiency.

After more than a decade, the cumulative effects of PepsiCo’s resource conservation program have resulted in an improvement in energy efficiency of more than 30%. Further, PepsiCo avoided the emissions of over 600,000 metric tons of greenhouse gasses in 2011, which is equivalent to the energy consumption of over 50,000 American single-family homes and over 115,000 passenger vehicles.

The 2012 Sustained Excellence Awards are given to a select group of organisations that have exhibited outstanding leadership year after year. These winners have reduced greenhouse gas emissions by setting and achieving aggressive goals, employing innovative approaches, and showing others what can be achieved through energy efficiency. Award winners are selected from about 20,000 organizations that participate in the Energy Star program.

Anheuser-Busch InBev, the world’s largest brewer, and energy solutions provider GE have formed a strategic alliance to jointly develop innovative manufacturing solutions to drive energy efficiency and water savings in existing and ‘greenfield’ AB InBev facilities across China. AB InBev has defined key performance indicators related to energy use, water use and CO2 emissions.

With clear 2012 objectives to reduce the water-to-beer ratio to 3.5, reduce energy usage aggressively and decrease CO2 output and reliance on traditional energy sources via the use of biogas and natural gas, AB InBev was seeking a partner with global reach and a dedicated approach to the challenges facing the brewing industry. GE made an ideal partner.

“When GE expressed its desire to partner, we agreed without hesitation,” says Ricardo Dias, vice president of procurement for AB InBev APAC. “We are very pleased to engage in this strategic partnership with GE as we continue to strive for more sustainable manufacturing processes. As a brewing industry leader, we will continue to strive to establish a benchmark for energy innovation in the brewing industry and larger food and beverage marketplace.”

GE aims to utilise its resources aligned to the food and beverage industry to support AB InBev to exceed its 2012 objectives. Working together, AB InBev and GE engineering resources will establish an ‘Innovation Team’ to understand AB InBev’s processes and challenges. This insight will enable the team to define clear solutions that can be implemented and piloted in designated AB InBev locations, with successes taken to plants across the AB InBev China landscape.

Jack Wen, vice president of GE and president of GE Energy China, comments. “GE has advanced technologies that can address the challenges of the food and beverage marketplace. Our alliance with AB InBev will enable us to work together to create solutions that will empower the larger brewing industry to achieve these same objectives.”

With AB InBev’s 2012 goals in mind, this partnership will initially focus on designing and implementing several key solutions, including:

* Energy management solutions that use advanced software systems to provide insight into the level of energy and water used, enabling visibility into potential energy and water losses, while allowing for a better understanding of where improvements can be made.

* Combined heat and power solutions that utilize gas engines will enable several AB InBev pilot sites to create electricity via either biogas or natural gas. With these engines achieving energy efficiency levels of 70 to 90 percent, the utilization of energy is dramatically improved.

* Waste-to-value solutions that will enable efficient use of water and energy normally left over from the manufacturing process.

The AB InBev and GE teams will work together to optimize these solutions and define additional solutions throughout the partnership.

This initiative is expected to reduce CO2 emissions by approximately 100,000 tons per year in addition to reducing water and energy consumption. The results also have the potential to resonate throughout the broader industry.

This initiative is the next step in a growing tradition of environmental leadership for AB InBev. In April 2010, the company announced its three-year environmental performance targets and its goal to become the world’s most environmentally friendly brewer.

In 2010, AB InBev China reduced water consumption by 20.7%, carbon emissions by 20% and energy consumption by 13.19%. GE’s Customer Innovation Centers are part of GE’s ongoing investment in China. In 2010, the company announced a plan to invest more than $2 billion in R&D, technology and financial service partnerships in China by 2012.

Coca-Cola Hellenic, one of the world’s largest bottlers of products of The Coca-Cola Company, has been included for the fourth consecutive year in the Dow Jones Sustainability Indexes (DJSI), the premier global sustainability benchmark. The DJSI are based on an analysis of the economic, environmental and social performance of the world’s 2,500 largest companies measured by free-floating market capitalisation. Only the top 10% achieve inclusion after assessment of a range of general and industry-specific issues including climate change mitigation, supply chain standards and labour practices.

Coca-Cola Hellenic is one of only three beverage companies worldwide to merit a place on the DJSI World index, and one of just two to make it into the DJSI Europe index. It is also the only Greek company included in either index. In the assessment process, Coca-Cola Hellenic received top scores for the beverage industry in nine assessment categories including perfect marks in two – Environmental Policy/Management Systems and Packaging.

Dimitris Lois, chief executive of Coca-Cola Hellenic, says: “Gaining inclusion in the Indexes is an achievement on its own. Maintaining our position for four years requires continual improvement, which is the focus of our long-running Towards Sustainability programme. We know we will need to demonstrate further progress to be included next year and we are determined to do exactly that.” Coca-Cola Hellenic’s overall score improved year-on-year from 72% to 77%.

Barclays has launched a £100 million fund for UK farmers investing in renewable energy, tracking the massive groundswell of interest from farmers seeking to cut energy bills and generate new income.

New figures released by the bank reveal that more than a third (37%) of the UK’s 200,000 farmers are expecting to invest in renewable energy, with the majority doing so within the next year. Farmers are further expecting the investment to generate returns averaging £25,000 per year.

Developed with sector specialists including National Farmers Union (NFU), the fund is available for solar, wind, and hydro projects in theUK, with Barclays including projected feed-in-tariffs (FIT) when assessing each loan.

“For farmers investing makes sense – it’s good for the environment, but for the majority it’s about good business,” says Travers Clarke-Walker, product and marketing director for Barclays Business. “Over the years farmers have struggled with low commodity prices and increasing costs, and Barclays has already supported many farmers as they seek new ways of making money. Renewable energy production offers farmers a further opportunity to develop their businesses and add to their traditionally vital roles of producing food and managing the countryside.”

He adds: “What farmers see is a win-win – lower costs and increased income, and the majority expect the investment to pay for itself in under 10 years. Meaning they are looking forward to many further years of lower energy costs and a potentially new income as they sell energy back to the grid.”

Four out of five (80%) of the farmers questioned recognise that renewable energy can provide significant cost savings, with 60% expecting it to generate additional income for their business. In the medium term, increased investment in renewable energy appears even more likely, with Barclays predicting the costs of wind and solar projects to fall by up to 50% in the next three to five years.

The new fund will support the British Government’s recent commitment for the UK to generate 15% of its energy from renewable sources by 2020.

In a climate where food and drink manufacturers are increasingly under pressure to reduce their own food waste, cut packaging levels and introduce more environmentally friendly packaging options, RWM in partnership with CIWM is the perfect opportunity to see the latest developments in waste management and recycling. In addition visitors can see how a sustainable approach to business can save long-term costs and boost revenue.

For the first time, the sustainability and recycling industry’s two biggest exhibitions, the Recycling and Waste Management Exhibition (RWM) and The Chartered Institution of Wastes Management’s (CIWM) Futuresource, have combined to create a single flagship event taking place at Birmingham’s NEC from Tuesday 13 to Thursday 15 September.

With more than 600 exhibitors already signed up, the exhibition will feature the very latest products and services in waste and recycling, including the latest in packaging and food waste services. For example, visitors can find out about innovations in recycled packaging options from suppliers including Biffa Polymers who will be available to demonstrate the variety of food and drink packaging applications that are produced from recycled mixed plastics.

You will also see one of Europe’s premier food chain recycling specialists PDM Group, IMC’s award winning food waste recycling solution and Smurfit Kappa Recycling (UK), the first multi-site packaging company to receive the carbon trust standard, to name but a few.

72 Free Seminars, Over 90 Expert Speakers

This year, RWM in partnership with CIWM’s seminar programme will feature the waste and recycling industry’s largest programme of free content, covering Technology & Innovation, Commerce & Industry, Local Authority, Communications issues and Energy. It gives you the chance to make sure you are armed with the latest knowledge from leading industry figures.

Highlights include Coca Cola’s commercial recycling manager Nick Brown who will be talking about what the soft drinks company is doing to reduce the impact of packaging. In addition, PDM Group’s commercial director Suzanne McDermott will be discussing how the food and drink industry can help overcome barriers to making food waste recycling a mainstream habit through working in partnership with the waste industry.

The programme has been fully accredited by CIWM, with each day of the conference providing half a day towards members’ Graduate Structured Learning & Development Programme or four hours of Continuing Professional Development (CPD).

The full three-day seminar programme will feature over 90 industry-leading experts including former politician and corporate advisor Lord Digby Jones, journalist and environmentalist Lucy Siegle and expert environmental advisor Jonathon Porritt CBE. In addition, a host of industry professionals will be presenting the latest industry insights, as well as best practice case studies covering a variety of topics including waste prevention and reuse. Seminars will highlight the latest new technology and policy developments to inspire improvement in food and drink recycling and waste.

Free Professional Services Advice

Visitors can take the unique opportunity to talk through solutions for their businesses at the Professional Services Clinic, which is new to the show for 2011. A selection of experts will be available for free one-on-one consultancy sessions with visitors across the three days of the exhibition. Clinics will include getting the most out of energy from waste provided by the experts at KEMA and legal services sessions provided by corporate law firm Nabarro. Sessions will be available throughout the three days but spaces are limited so visitors are advised to arrive early to avoid disappointment. To book an appointment please visit www.rwmexhibition.com/pr and click on ‘Professional Services Clinic’ under the ‘Visit’ tab.

Back for 2011 is Cafe Viridor, a popular area at last year’s RWM and the ideal networking spot for visitors and exhibitors. For 2011, RWM in partnership with CIWM is also home to a second exciting networking hub sponsored by Stobart Biomass Products as well as communications advice in the Sauce Communications Hub in partnership with CIWM and APSRG.

RWM in partnership with CIWM takes place at the Birmingham NEC from Tuesday 13 to Thursday 15 September 2011. Register for free www.rwmexhibition.com/pr. Keep up to date by following @RWM_with_CIWM and using the Twitter hashtag #RWMwithCIWM.

A £10m Loan Fund that will help finance anaerobic digestion (AD) infrastructure across England has been introduced. The fund aims to lend up to £10m over the next four years, with individual loans of between £50,000 and £1m.

“The Loan Fund builds on the Anaerobic Digestion Strategy and Action Plan to develop a strong and vibrant AD industry. It will help to reduce the amount of food sent to landfill and give more businesses the opportunity to use AD to produce their own power and electricity,” explains Defra Minister Lord Henley.

The fund for the first round of applications is open until October 31st 2011. The fund has been established by WRAP in England to address the gap in anaerobic digestion processing capacity that currently exists for food waste.

”Across the UK, there are now AD facilities capable of managing 656,500 tonnes of organic waste each year, diverting waste from landfill, generating renewable energy and creating green jobs. The 300,000 tonnes of extra capacity we expect this fund will create will bring the UK’s AD processing capacity close to 1 million tonnes per year,” comments Marcus Gover, director of the Closed Loop Economy at WRAP. “AD is a reliable, safe and profitable resource efficiency process supported by Government, industry, local authorities and communities.”

There are currently 25 AD sites in England which take in food waste, including from industrial processes.

WRAP has a finite loan pool and will select projects for funding through a competitive process, with those applications most strongly meeting its criteria being offered a loan. For more information visit www.wrap.org.uk/funding.

C&L Industrial has just announced the launch of the Boge stand alone DUOTHERM heat recovery system. This compact module is the ideal solution for compressed air users wanting to optimise the energy usage of their existing compressed air system via heat recovery.

The external Boge DUOTHERM heat recovery system can recover up to 94% of the input energy used in compression in the form of heat.

The waste heat generated by the compressor can then be re-directed into heating spaces, such as workshops, to pre-heating water used in an industrial process. In doing so, the user can reduce their associated energy costs and optimise their energy usage.

The new DUOTHERM module is compact, requiring only a minimum space requirement. It connects into the oil circuit of the compressor with no external energy required for operation.

As an external heat recovery system the DUOTHERM is also ideal when a compressed air user wants to retrofit heat recovery. It is universal and can easily be used with any make of rotary screw compressor.

The Boge DUOTHERM is available in five versions suitable for oil injected screw compressors of any make or model from 7.5 to 110 kW. C&L Industrial is the exclusive authorised distributor of Boge compressors within the Republic of Ireland.

The UK’s first ‘super’ anaerobic digestion (AD) plant dealing with food waste has been launched by Biffa, a leading waste specialist. Based at the company’s Poplars waste management site in Cannock, Staffordshire, the new facility, which is the biggest in the UK, will process up to 120,000 tonnes of food waste from homes and businesses in the West Midlands every year to produce enough renewable energy to power 6,000 homes and a soil improver that can be used in the same way as compost.

“This is the future of waste. It is taking food that could once only be sent to landfill and turning it into something of value on a truly industrial scale. It is a key milestone in society’s drive to reduce waste, cut emissions and recover the inherent value in our waste,” comments Ian Wakelin, chief executive of Biffa.

Planning permission for the facility was granted in November 2009 and construction started in January 2010.

The Cannock facility is the latest in a long line of commitments from Biffa to handle more of the UK’s food waste. It forms part of Biffa’s expanding network of AD plants and follows on from the launch of its National Food Waste Recycling Service for businesses earlier in the year.

Biffa already operates a number of food waste treatment facilities in the UK, enabling up to 100,000 tonnes of food waste per year to be recycled or reused.

Ian Wakelin adds: “We all want to recycle more. It is initiatives like this which allow us to do so with minimum effect on our day to day lives at home or at work.”

Every year, the UK throws away around 15 million tonnes of food waste (source: Defra/WRAP) and it is thought that around half of this comes from businesses. Much of this food waste is currently sent to landfill sites where it breaks down into methane and carbon dioxide, both powerful greenhouse gases that contribute significantly to climate change.

Biffa is an integrated waste management business providing collection, treatment, recycling and technology-driven energy generation services.

BV Dairy in Dorset, England, will use the energy derived from the recycling of food waste from the production of cream, milk and fermented dairy products, to power most of the plant’s production process. The facility has received $2.71m from the AD Demonstration program.

The plant is capable of processing 80,000 tonnes of waste each year, which will provide the majority of electricity used in the manufacturing process at the dairy. The surplus electricity created will be exported to the national grid.

Heat generated by the facility will be used in the Anaerobic Digestion (AD) process, and excess will be used in the cleaning processes in the factory and in the cheese making process.

The solid digestate, a bio-fertiliser is high in valuable nutrients required for healthy plant growth and fertile soil, will be used on local grassland.

BV Dairy Managing Director Jim Highnam said the plant demonstrates that the technology works and, judging by the interest from food manufacturers, the company expects to see many more companies using AD to generate renewable energy from unavoidable food waste.

BV Dairy produces 15,000 tonnes of dairy products each year for the food service and food manufacturing sectors.

An English dairy has officially opened a £3.4m anaerobic digestion (AD) facility that will turn food waste from around the county into the energy helping to produce its clotted cream, ice cream creme fraiche and yoghurt. The facility at Langage Farm, Plymouth, Devonshire, received £1.2m of funding from the Anaerobic Digestion Demonstration Programme.

By the end of its first year of operation, the AD facility will process 12,000 tonnes of food waste collected from households across the county by local authorities. The facility will also process on-farm dairy wastes, converting these fuels into renewable heat and electricity.

The renewable energy will not only power the dairy products production, but surplus will exported to the National Grid. In its first five years, the Langage AD facility is expected to produce 20,000 MW of energy saving the equivalent of 2,000 tonnes of CO2 per annum/£ on energy bills.

Molson Coors (UK & Ireland) has committed to divert all production waste away from landfill for each of its four UK breweries by the end of 2012. Increasing costs and the drive for a more sustainable business has led Molson Coors to focus on the efficiency of its resource usage and maximise the value extracted from its raw material supplies.

In the UK, Molson Coors has over 2,000 employees and breweries in Burton on Trent, Alton and Tadcaster. It has a market share of over 20% of the UK beer market. Its portfolio includes Carling, the UK’s best selling lager for three decades, Coors Light, Grolsch, Worthington’s, Caffrey’s, Corona, Cobra and a range of speciality beers.

Molson Coors’ 2010 Global CR reporting shows the UK & Ireland business has decreased waste to landfill by a massive 27% in recent years and the business is intent on reusing and recycling wherever possible. In fact, waste improvements have saved 1,348 tonnes of waste to landfill in the last year; equivalent to the waste from 428 homes in one year. The business now has its sight on zero production waste to landfill.

Molson Coors (UK & Ireland) has also saved over £60,000 in landfill tax over two years by diverting waste from landfill. By-products from the brewing process are also put to beneficial uses, with spent grains going to farmers for animal feed and excess yeast going to the production of Marmite. The brewer is collaborating and sharing best practices with industry bodies such as the UK IGD Efficient Consumer Response Food and Packaging Waste working group, and by signing up to WRAP’s Courtauld Commitment to support the industry in reducing overall supply chain waste.

“As Britain’s biggest brewer we have to be aware of our environmental impact and we want to set out our achievements across the business and some of our next goals for the coming years,” explains Lee Finney, supply chain director of Molson Coors. “Achieving our goal will have commercial and environmental benefits both now and in the future. Reaching zero production waste to landfill across our breweries not only requires excellent inventory management but innovation and collaboration too. In addition, many of the by-products of the brewing process are valuable resources for farmers and food producers, as well as being a potential energy source.”

Other highlights from Molson Coors UK & Ireland’s environmental performance include: the reduction of carbon emissions by 5% between 2008 and 2010; an 11% improvement in energy efficiency in the last three years; and saved 650 million litres of water since 2005-2009 with plans in place to save 1 billion litres by 2012 (from 2005 levels) in the UK, equivalent to about a 30% saving. UK beer miles in 2010 were reduced by 2.6m km and newly designed tear drop trailers help reduce petrol consumption and cost. Part of this success has been through an innovative partnership with Asda.

PepsiCo’s Frito-Lay manufacturing facility in Azov, Russia, has been officially awarded LEED Silver by the US Green Building Council (USGBC). The manufacturing facility is the first site in PepsiCo’s European network to receive the prestigious LEED certification for New Construction/Major Renovation, bringing the total number of LEED certified PepsiCo facilities around the world to 27.

LEED certification is an internationally recognised distinction for the design, construction and operation of high performance green buildings. To achieve LEED certification, the Azov facility boasts a number of impressive sustainability results including:

* More than 18% projected energy savings,

* More than 40% projected water savings for installed plumbing fixtures,

* 100% reduction in potable water use for landscape irrigation,

* High performance electric lighting and daylighting for more than 75% of the building spaces,

* Increased ventilation rates and low toxic materials for improved air quality,

* Occupant control of lighting, temperature, and indoor environment.

PepsiCo’s 27 LEED certifications, include its Frito-Lay North America headquarters in Plano, Texas, Chongqing plant and office in China, PepsiCo Plaza and Sustainability Center in Chicago, City of Industry manufacturing facility in California, and Frito-Lay plants in Casa Grande, Arizona and Killingly, Connecticut.

Nestle has installed a unique solar power system to produce its Coppa del Nonno ice cream brand in Italy. The new solar power system – located at the company’s ice cream factory in Ferentino, western Italy – is the only one of its kind in the country to use a combination of three different solar power technologies on the same site.

Supported by a smaller solar power system built in 2009, it will provide all the energy needed to power the Coppa del Nonno ice cream production line. The innovation is part of the company’s countrywide commitment to obtaining more energy from renewable sources.

The factory already featured cutting-edge ice cream production processes, and the installation of this new solar power system reaffirms its excellence in the management of energy resources.

Nestlé’s Ferentino factory is one of the most advanced in its category, with 11 production lines producing more than 26,000 tonnes of ice cream per year.

Its entire solar power system – built with the technical support of the Solar Green Energy Company – produces enough energy to meet around 14% of the factory’s total energy needs, or the equivalent of around 750 homes.

It is the only factory to produce Coppa del Nonno ice cream, an historical brand which has been available exclusively in Italy for around 60 years.

In addition to Coppa del Nonno, the Ferentino factory makes some of Nestles most prestigious ice cream brands in Italy.

These include Maxibon, Maxicono, Antica Gelateria del Corso, and the company’s biggest seller, La Cremeria.

Alpro, a pioneer in the development and marketing of soya-based food and drinks, has become the first European food company to join the WWF Climate Savers programme. The goal of this prestigious programme is to help industries and businesses to develop new climate and energy solutions.

Bernard Deryckere, chief executive of Alpro, explains: “As the first European food company to join Climate Savers, we hope to inspire other European companies to reduce their ecological footprint. Not only does this partnership illustrate our continuing commitment to sustainable development, it also stimulates us to continue developing our existing climate plans.”

Climate Savers was launched in 2000 and 25 companies have joined this WWF programme to date, including well known brands like Tetra Pak, Sony, HP, Volvo and Coca-Cola.

Between 2008 and 2010, absolute CO2 emissions from Alpro’s plants decreased by 11%, despite a production volume uplift of more than 11%, which resulted in a combined 22% improvement over a two year time period. Alpro’s Climate Savers commitment is to keep its plants’ CO2 emissions by 2013 below 2008 levels, despite an expected one-third growth in volumes. This will be equivalent to emitting 42.000 tons less CO2 than in a business as usual case.

The company is also committed to evaluating concrete ways to further reduce its indirect emissions such as its packaging and transport emissions, including a feasibility study on intermodal transport and a pilot case on horizontal logistics collaboration. And, finally, Alpro will actively promote WWF’s Renewable Energy Vision, for example by becoming a WWF Clean Energy Ambassador, and will leverage the value chain business case, in close collaboration with other Climate Savers companies.

Sustainable development is an integral part of Alpro’s culture. The company has been working on a climate plan to decrease its impact on the environment for some years now. As part of this plan, Alpro has built a new loading dock in the river Lys for its Wevelgem plant in Belgium. Each week at least one ship will be mooring at the landing quay with 20 containers full of soya beans. “From now on, soya beans, the raw ingredients of our products, will be delivered straight to the factory for processing – saving energy, time and CO2 emissions,” says Bernard Deryckere. “This means there will be 1200 less trucks on the road every year.”

Alpro employs some 800 people and has a turnover of approximately Eur260m. Alpro has four production units, located in Belgium, the UK, France and the Netherlands.

Greenergy, a privately owned company that supplies one fifth of Britain’s road fuel, has begun producing biodiesel from food waste. In a unique partnership with Brocklesby, a specialist in recycling edible oils, unsaleable food products such as crisps and pies, which would previously have gone to landfill or compost, are now being converted for biofuel and energy production. This new initiative helps to reduce the environmental impact of the fuel that Greenergy produces while also creating a new alternative source of fuel.

Greenergy has invested £50 million in its biodiesel production facility in Immingham on the east coast of England in order to efficiently process used cooking oils, which are more complicated to process than ‘new’ oils such as rapeseed. The company already uses significant quantities (more than 20 million litres a month) of biodiesel from used cooking oil supplied from a range of food producers.

In order to extend its use of waste-based biofuel even further, Greenergy is now beginning to make biodiesel from high fat solid foods such as pies, sausage rolls, pastry and crisps which are not fit for sale because they are mis-shapen, overcooked or past their sell by date. These food products, which typically contain between 25% and 30% oil and fat, are sourced from a variety of food manufacturers nationally. Other suitable foods include taramasalata and oil from fish frying containing high quantities of breadcrumbs.

The oils and fats in these foods are extracted through a novel process developed by Brocklesby and are then further purified by Greenergy. Only then are the oils and fats clean enough to be suitable for conversion into biodiesel.  The finished biodiesel is then blended in small quantities into the diesel that Greenergy supplies to petrol stations nationally.

Any food solids that remain after processing are currently dried and then either composted or used to produce energy through anaerobic digestion, but in future could be used to make solid biomass fuel pellets or briquettes, or more fuel for cars in the form of bioethanol. Waste water is used as a biomass crop fertiliser.

“We’ve always tried to find ways of reducing the environmental impact of our fuel and as oil prices continue to rise, it’s obviously important to develop alternative sources of fuel,” comments Andrew Owens, chief executive of Greenergy. “The quantities of biodiesel that we’re currently producing from solid food waste are small, but we’re expecting to scale up so that this soon becomes a significant proportion of our biodiesel.”

Dairy products company Adams Foods is achieving impressive carbon performance at its new factory at Leek in Staffordshire, England, thanks to combined heat and power (CHP) technology. The 150kW CHP unit, supplied by sustainable power group ENER-G, is part of an environmental management programme at the factory. Since full commissioning of the CHP system in June 2010 it has achieved carbon savings of 476 tonnes, equivalent to the environmental benefit of 47,600 trees.

Adams Foods, which was formed when The Kerrygold Company merged with North Downs Dairy in October 2010, is the UK’s leading pre-packed cheese business, with 30% share of the UK retail market. Kerrygold Irish butter, which is sold in 60 countries globally, is marketed and distributed in the UK from the Staffordshire site.

150kW CHP unit from ENER-G.

The state-of-the-art factory and office complex, in Leek, was designed to be the most efficient and environmentally friendly cheese packing facility in Europe. Occupying 15,500 sq m, the new facility employs 550 people and operates 24 hours a day.

The ENER-G CHP system generates 150kW of electricity and provides 225kW of heat to pre-heat water for washing and cleaning.

CHP technology converts gas into both electricity and heat in a single process at the point of use. The technology works by generating electricity on-site and recovering the majority of the heat created in the process. Its high efficiency contrasts with conventional power stations where heat is lost into the atmosphere through power station cooling towers, and further losses occur when transmitting the electricity along many miles of electrical distribution cables to customers.

By using a CHP to generate electricity on site, Adams Foods can use the heat generated for its hot water requirements, while creating substantial carbon savings.

The CHP unit was acquired using ENER-G’s capital purchase scheme and features an ENER-G Premier maintenance contract that includes all services and call outs.

Adams Foods has also implemented a number of other energy saving techniques to reduce costs and lower carbon emissions. These include sun pipes, passive infra red (PIR) lighting controls, photovoltaic cells, and free cooling to the production hall using roof mounted air fans and inverter driven motors on pumps and fans.

The ENER-G Group is a leading distributed power generation and energy management company and its UK manufactured CHP systems reduce carbon emissions by around 20% while cutting electricity costs by approximately one third. They can be powered by natural gas, diesel, biodiesel, propane, biofuels or biogases.

Tangerine Confectionery, the UK’s largest independent sugar confectionery manufacturer, will achieve significant savings on energy thanks to cogeneration and trigeneration technologies from sustainable engineering group ENER-G. Tangerine is installing energy efficient combined heat and power (CHP) systems at its Pontefract production site in West Yorkshire, where famous brands such as Wilkinson’s Pontefract cakes and Butterkist Popcorn are made.

Each year, Tangerine will achieve cost savings of almost £200,000 and save 630 tonnes of carbon, equivalent to the environmental benefit of 63,000 trees. The two-phase contract involved the installation of an ENER-G 500kWe cogeneration unit in September 2010, followed by a 230kWe trigeneration system to be commissioned in February 2011. The smaller unit will provide electricity, heating and cooling to supply a second production facility.

ENER-G CHP unit at Tangerine Confectionery.

Tangerine has utilised ENER-G’s discount energy purchase scheme which entails no capital outlay for the business. The contract is structured to deliver low-cost, low-carbon energy onsite thus reducing the facility’s carbon footprint whilst improving profitability.

UK-based ENER-G is also working with Tangerine to develop CHP solutions on a number of other sites. A multi-site roll-out will facilitate a significant carbon reduction which is increasingly important given the advent of the UK government’s Energy Efficiency Carbon Reduction Commitment scheme.

Tangerine operates seven UK production sites employ approximately 1500 people and in three years, turnover has increased from £40m to £150m.

Tangerine Confectionery was created through three key acquisitions within the UK, over a three years period. In January 2006, a management team with an established pedigree in the confectionery industry acquired Blackpool-based Toms of Denmark. This was followed soon after by the confectionery arm of Burton’s Foods in August 2006, to create a £60m turnover business, committed to the production of both own label and branded confectionery for the UK and abroad. In February 2008, came the third and largest acquisition: Monkhill Confectionery, which was acquired from Cadbury Schweppes for £58m in cash.