Key objectives for 2022–2025
- All Raisio’s own production is carbon neutral by the end of 2023.
- We will report the (scope 3) CO2 emissions of Raisio’s value chain for 2022 and set a timetable and targets to reduce them.
- We will reduce food loss and waste as well as utilise production sidestreams throughout the value chain.
Almost carbon neutral production
One of the key objectives of our responsibility program is to turn our own production carbon neutral by the end of 2023. . In 2022, 98% of the energy used by the Raisio Group was carbon-neutral.
The last missing piece in our efforts to make our own production carbon-neutral is the Kauhava factory. Our target is to turn our Kauhava factory carbon neutral by the end of 2023. The Nokia mill and the Raisionkaari area have already achieved carbon neutrality.
What is carbon-neutral production?
Carbon neutrality refers to a situation in which the net greenhouse gas emissions are zero. Carbon-neutral energy is produced without fossil fuels. For example, bioenergy is carbon-neutral because the biomass has sequestered the same amount of carbon dioxide during its life cycle as is produced by burning it. In order for our production to qualify as carbon-neutral, all of the electricity, heat and industrial steam we use must be produced with carbon-neutral energy.
The bioenergy solutions implemented in Raisio’s own factories in recent years have proven their worth in the face of the energy challenges:
- In summer 2021, a heating plant was commissioned at the Nokia mill, which utilises oat hulls, a side stream of the mill’s processes, to produce heat and steam. In just a short time, the heating plant has proven to be a good way to ensure not only a responsible but also a cost-effective energy supply.
- The Raisionkaari industrial area has already been carbon-neutral since 2018, with heat and steam from the area’s own bioenergy plant.
With energy efficiency we ensure energy sufficiency
Energy efficiency is an important part of Raisio Group’s responsibility programme, and we have been involved in the Energy Efficiency Agreement for Industries since 2008. The agreement is currently in its second period, and the goal is to reduce the total energy consumption by 7.5 per cent by the end of 2025. The comparison is based on the 2015 level.
We are constantly looking for new ways to improve energy efficiency and save on electricity. For example, energy saving is always a factor when we invest in equipment, as more advanced equipment also often consumes less energy.
Switch to LED lamps
We have started to switch to LED lamps for both indoor and outdoor lighting, one building and area at a time. For example, in the Raisionkaari factory area in Raisio, more than 90% of the outdoor lighting has already been replaced with LED lighting. The changeover to LED lamps will continue in all the Group’s buildings and locations in 2023.
Compared to traditional light bulbs, LED lamps consume only about a fifth of the electricity. At Raisio, this means that when the changeover is completed in 2023, we will save around 37,000 kWh of electricity per year. This is equivalent to the annual electricity consumption of about four detached houses.
Room temperatures down by one degree
In the spirit of the energy saving efforts of winter 2022−2023, the room temperatures in Raisio’s offices have been lowered. The buildings are not identical, so the temperatures are adjusted on a building-by-building basis. For example, the head office has lowered its room temperatures by 1.5 degrees Celsius.
It is estimated that the reduction of room temperatures will result in annual savings of around 45,000 kWh in district heating consumption. This is equivalent to the annual consumption of about five standard, district-heated, detached houses.
We produce more from less
Food waste is generated in all parts of the food chain, including our factories. Factories also generate so-called side streams – material that is not needed in the product itself, but could be used elsewhere.
Our primary goal is to prevent waste: we want to improve our processes and practices to minimise the amount of waste. If there is waste, our aim is to ensure that edible food that is unfit for sale goes back into the food chain and inedible food waste is used for other purposes.
Below are examples of how we reduce food waste and make more efficient use of side streams:
Crop residues were put to energy use
In early 2022, the production process at the Nokia mill changed in such a way that the side stream from the pre-cleaning of grain was no longer suitable as biowaste for the biogas plant. A by-product study was launched to find new uses for the pre-cleaning residue.
Now the residue can be used efficiently: it is sold to another industrial company that uses it for heating in its production process. Selling the residue for energy use significantly reduces the amount of waste generated by the Nokia mill, and the reduction is also reflected in the figures for the Raisio Group as a whole: the estimated annual waste volume for the Group as a whole is reduced by almost a fifth.
Meaty umami flavour from side streams
In spring 2022, we agreed on a collaboration with Nordic Umami Company to explore the potential of Raisio’s plant based side streams for the production of natural umami. The aim is to return the end products from the side streams back to Raisio. The project makes extensive use of the side streams generated from our own production.
Nordic Umami Company develops sustainable flavour innovations from the side streams of the food industry. The company focuses on vegan umami products, producing the ‘meaty’ taste missing from plant-based proteins. The technology developed by Nordic Umami Company to produce umami from various plant-based raw materials is based on nature’s own processes.
Work to reduce indirect CO2 emissions started
In 2022, we started to carry out Scope 3 calculations and work to reduce emissions in the value chain. In cooperation with Natural Resources Institute Finland (Luke), we have calculated our indirect carbon dioxide emissions, i.e. Scope 3 emissions.
The calculation is based on the Scope 3 guidelines of Greenhouse Gas (GHG) Protocol. It includes indirect emissions related to our activities, originating from emission sources that are not owned or controlled by the company. Upstream emissions include indirect emissions before the manufacture of products, and downstream emissions include indirect emissions after the manufacture of products.
Our Scope 3 calculation shows that most of our Scope 3 emissions come from the production and cultivation of raw materials, which is typical for the food industry. Grains, our main raw material, account for almost 70% of the total CO2 emissions.
The calculation confirms our view that in the future we need to work more closely with the supply chain, and primary producers in particular, to reduce overall emissions. This will require long-term work, as the effects of the changes will be felt with a delay and annual yield variations in farming are large.
