At Greenyard, we care about creating a healthier and more sustainable future – through our wide range of healthy produce, but also through the way we source and process our fruits and vegetables. That’s why we made tangible commitments to reduce our environmental impact. Learn more about how we optimise our production process at Greenyard Frozen UK with a biogas dome, significantly lowering our carbon footprint.
Wastewater to green energy
The biogas dome is a key part of the wastewater treatment facility at Greenyard Frozen UK’s King’s Lynn site. “Biogas is a valuable source of energy made from a waste product”, explains Ben Parsons, Environmental Technologies Manager at Greenyard Frozen UK. “The wastewater treatment process on site produces biogas during anaerobic digestion - a process through which bacteria break down organic matter in the absence of oxygen. This biogas is captured and stored in the biogas dome to be used in the Combined Heat and Power plant – or CHP for short, adding a significant amount of renewable energy back into our processing operations and simultaneously reducing our carbon footprint.”
How does the biogas dome work?
Simply put, organic materials in our processing water – from cleaning, peeling or blanching our produce – end up in the water treatment plant. Here, specific bacteria break down the organic materials during anaerobic digestion. The result is treated wastewater, biogas production and a small sludge stream that is reused in other water treatment plants. Biogas is captured in the dome and then used to generate power and heat for our processes on site.
Sharing knowledge across divisions
The biogas dome at King’s Lynn marks a large step towards expanding our on-site renewable energy generation and is the result of the excellent cooperation across international Greenyard entities. Ben: “I received a lot of valuable information from the Lead Engineer at our Greenyard Prepared site in Bree (Belgium), where they also capture biogas that is created in their water treatment plant. Sharing best practices and supporting each other as one international team is the best way for us to move forward as a company.”
A sustainable focus for company and customers
But capturing biogas is only the start of Greenyard Frozen UK’s sustainability efforts. “We’ve developed a brand-new sustainability strategy for Greenyard Frozen, in line with our corporate roadmap”, explains Neil Winner, Operations Director. “Our goal is to be at the top of the sustainability charts in our industry, keep an environmental focus and offer sustainable and profitable growth opportunities to our customers. Our dedicated Sustainability Officer at Greenyard Frozen UK determines our next priorities and identifies quick wins. And we’re working on capturing more data to accurately measure, understand and improve our carbon footprint.”
Would you like know more about how we combat food waste and work on a more sustainable food chain?
Download our sustainability report.
