The Danone at Wexford produces well-known brands of Aptamil, Cow-Gate and Nutrilon infant formula for consumers in 41 countries around the world.
In 2010, the company took steps to reduce the site’s carbon emissions, in an effort to achieve carbon fairness. Ten years later, the dairy giant announced that the facility would be graded in unbiased carbon through climate replacement and sustainable progression consultantion, Carbon Trust.
For Danone, the biggest challenge in achieving climate neutrality was its purpose to expand product production.
“The main goal and challenge for us is to reduce our carbon footprint while expanding production volumes,” Paul Kennedy, global sustainability manager, told FoodNavigator.
“To do this, we have invested in renewable energy resources for plant power intake while verifying our remaining CO2 emissions, adding indirect emissions, such as worker travel and waste collection.”
Danone then made up for the remaining issues through Gold Standard Carbon credits from the Livelihoods fund, the sustainability manager said.
“As a result, at Wexford, we had to decouple CO2 emissions and productivity from our production site, resulting in a prestige of carbon neutrality in accordance with the carbon trust-certified PAS 2060 foreign standard.”
At the Wexford site, which employs 350 people, Danone relies on five key methods to sustainably produce its infant formulas.
First, the site reduces carbon emissions. The facility produces 100 percent renewable electrical power and uses a biomass boiler powered by sustainable wood fuels. According to the largest Frenchman, this resulted in a relief of 10,000 tons of CO2 compared to 2010 site emissions, a 70% relief on its direct carbon footprint.
The company implements virtual technologies for “sustainability power and performance,” including the progression of a virtual roadmap. This covers projects to a paperless site, using drones for inventory tracking and new technologies for energy tracking.
Danone has also reached 0 waste in landfill, so all waste from its production processes or packaging is valued on site.
Off-site, the company contributes to regenerative farming practices in Ireland through its club in Origin’s Green Food and Beverage Sustainability Program. Danone is also committed to supporting the local economy: “The sustainable refractory wood that feeds the boiler comes from the local wood crushing industry, which also has a positive economic effect on Wexford County.”
Wexford is the moment when Danone’s production is described as unbiased carbon after Evian’s bottling in France. This new certification marks a new step towards understanding Danone’s zero-net carbon commitment in its price chain through 2050.
“We look forward to continuing to certify more sites in the future,” Kennedy said, adding that his ambition can be backed up by increased use of biogas on Green Island.
“We are committed to the sustainable production of our products and to reducing the environmental impact on our operations. In Ireland, we are leading a commercial collective calling for the creation of a biogas industry as a renewable option for herbal gas.
“Such a source of biofuel would help lessen the effect on the climate and decarbonize our other infant formula production site in Macroom, Ireland, which lately relies on herbal fuel for their energy needs.”
FoodNavigator asked Danone what elements of the Wexford site’s carbon neutrality efforts could be implemented in the same way elsewhere in Europe.
“Some elements of the Danone Wexford are already reflected elsewhere,” Kennedy replied.
“Over the past decade, we have implemented the latest energy power and sustainable technologies at several of our sites to further boost climate action and maintain the planet for generations over the long term.”
For other sites in Europe to achieve carbon neutrality, Kennedy says some ‘fundamental elements’ need to be in place: “Primary excellence in Energy and Environmental management, and the application of internationally recognised standards (e.g. ISO50001 and ISO14001 respectively).”
Strong collaboration with partners in local ecosystems is also essential to expand local renewable energy resources that are socially and economically for everyone, he said. “This detail has been one of the most important points of good fortune in Wexford’s adventure and can be seamlessly applied to sites elsewhere in Europe.
“Specifically in Wexford, this was a sustainable biomass source chain for the local timber industry with our partners, but for others, it can simply mean biogas of local agricultural waste or a shared heat network with neighboring industries, for example.
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