Arla Foods Ingredients saves 60,000 tonnes of CO2 using biogas
Arla Foods Ingredients has saved around 60,000 tonnes of CO2 per year by utilising biogas.
The company is also investing in its dry blend lactose production capacity, helping infant formula manufacturers cut their emissions by as much as 25%.
The two initiatives are part of Green Ambition 2050 – the sustainability strategy of parent company Arla Foods amba, which aims to achieve carbon neutrality by 2050.
The companies have received methane from a biogas plant since 2019. The biomass used primarily comprises manure from Arla farms, as well as production waste.
At each of Arla Foods Ingredients’ two largest production plants, two 4,000 horsepower biogas engines convert methane into over 50 GWh of electricity each year – equivalent to the amount used by 11,600 households.
In 2019, CO2 emissions from the two plants totalled 105,000 tonnes. Without using biogas, they would have emitted 167,000 – a reduction of 62,000 tonnes. The company expects a similar saving for 2020, despite increased production.
Now, greener sources, such as biogas, supply more than 30% of the energy needs of the company’s production facilities in Denmark.
“Sustainability is part of our DNA,” said Henrik Andersen, CEO at Arla Foods Ingredients. “The company has always been an example of a circular economy because we convert whey, which used to be considered waste, into high-value food and nutrition products.
“Now, we’re taking new steps to reduce our carbon footprint and help protect the environment for future generations.
“Reducing our use of fossil fuels and investing in greener energy sources such as biogas is an essential element of this ambition.”
The company is also investing in its dry blend lactose production capacity, helping infant formula manufacturers cut their emissions by as much as 25%.
The two initiatives are part of Green Ambition 2050 – the sustainability strategy of parent company Arla Foods amba, which aims to achieve carbon neutrality by 2050.
The companies have received methane from a biogas plant since 2019. The biomass used primarily comprises manure from Arla farms, as well as production waste.
At each of Arla Foods Ingredients’ two largest production plants, two 4,000 horsepower biogas engines convert methane into over 50 GWh of electricity each year – equivalent to the amount used by 11,600 households.
In 2019, CO2 emissions from the two plants totalled 105,000 tonnes. Without using biogas, they would have emitted 167,000 – a reduction of 62,000 tonnes. The company expects a similar saving for 2020, despite increased production.
Now, greener sources, such as biogas, supply more than 30% of the energy needs of the company’s production facilities in Denmark.
“Sustainability is part of our DNA,” said Henrik Andersen, CEO at Arla Foods Ingredients. “The company has always been an example of a circular economy because we convert whey, which used to be considered waste, into high-value food and nutrition products.
“Now, we’re taking new steps to reduce our carbon footprint and help protect the environment for future generations.
“Reducing our use of fossil fuels and investing in greener energy sources such as biogas is an essential element of this ambition.”
