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.
Own factories now carbon-neutral
One of the key objectives of our sustainability programme has been to make our own production carbon-neutral by the end of 2023. This important objective was achieved at the end of the year, resulting in all of our factories running on carbon-neutral energy from the beginning of December 2023 onwards. The solutions were found by developing operations and processes, together with our partners.
The last missing piece was our Kauhava factory and finding a solution for it required the cooperation of several parties:
✔ The Kauhava factory switched to biofuel for the steam needed in production in March 2023.
✔ Kauhava’s electricity needs will be covered by the Raisio Group’s joint electricity contract, which uses carbon-neutral electricity.
✔ The district heating for Kauhava factory is provided by Kauhavan Kaukolämpö Oy, but the heating energy solutions for the premises are in the hands of Kauhavan Yrityskiinteistöt Oy. A carbon-neutral solution was found when Kauhavan Kaukolämpö Oy signed up its heat production to the energy guarantee of origin scheme. As a result, we can be sure that the Kauhava factory site is heated with heat produced from renewable wood chips.
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.
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.
Great taste from food waste through cooperation
The results of the cooperation between Raisio and Nordic Umami Company, which started in 2022, were made available in the summer of 2023 when samples of the ‘Härkis® tomaattinen maustekastike’ tomato sauce, made from production side streams, became available in selected K Group shops in Finland. The companies worked together to explore the possibilities of using the side streams of Raisio’s plant-based products in the production of natural umami.
The raw materials used in the tomato sauce – fava bean skins, oat bran and oat flour – are side streams, meaning that they have been generated in the course of other production.
Through various partnerships, we have found several uses for the fava bean skins generated during the production of Härkis® products.
Scope 3 carbon footprint calculations
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 around 65% 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. We have therefore launched a project to collect more detailed farm-specific information to determine the carbon footprint of grains, particularly oats. The reduction of emissions requires long-term efforts by all parties. The collection of detailed data is arduous, and farming is subject to large annual variations in yields, so it takes time to see the effects of any changes. Compared to 2022, total Scope 3 emissions have decreased. This is due to fluctuations in the quantity of raw materials used.
You will find calculations in our Corporate Sustainability Report
