Reducing greenhouse gases

As a future-proof dairy chain, our production process must be in balance with the environment. That is why we take our responsibility for reducing greenhouse gas emissions, among other things. We are switching to renewable, green energy sources, both in our logistics and in our production processes.

Greening processes for lower emissions

The production of dairy products requires energy – we cannot change that. In order to avoid wasting that energy, we are working hard to increase our efficiency, design energy-efficient processes and use residual streams (which also qualify as waste). We work with our member dairy farmers wherever possible. Their farms produce enough clean energy to meet the energy needs of our production facilities in the Netherlands, Belgium and Germany.

Sustainable partnerships

Growth and sustainability must be in balance if they are to strengthen each other. Guided by this belief, we have joined the Dutch Sustainable Growth Coalition (DSGC), a group of Dutch multinationals that work towards sustainable development. Together with other entrepreneurs and policymakers, they are building a green, circular and social economy. The coalition is supported by the Confederation of Netherlands Industry and Employers (VNO-NCW) and the Royal Association MKB-Nederland for small and medium-sized businesses. We also belong to the BICEPS Network, which works towards cleaner sea transport through innovations and conditions for suppliers.

Reduce
We reduce greenhouse gases emissions and aim for lower consumption of electricity, gas and water.
Renew
We use renewable energy as much as possible and use new, recyclable packaging material.
Switch
If there is a more sustainable alternative that is economically feasible, we switch to this alternative.

Lower CO2 emissions from tanker trucks

Transport is needed to supply the world with our products. Our 250 tanker trucks that transport the milk from the farms to the production facilities are powered by relatively clean EU6 engines. In 2018, we went a step further. We used liquefied natural gas (LNG) in four tanker trucks in a pilot project. This resulted in a CO2 emission reduction of 20%. Since then, we have been studying the possibility of switching all tankers to natural gas. In addition, we have replaced the milk pumps on these vehicles. The new pumps run entirely on the green electricity generated by our member dairy farmers!

We are moving towards entirely bio-based transport! In the future, our tanker trucks will run on the green energy generated by our member dairy farmers.

Shipping success

Thanks to the efforts of DSGC and AP Møller-Maersk, a container ship sailed from Rotterdam to Shanghai and back on 20% biofuel (used frying fat) for the first time in 2019. The pilot was a big success and 18,000 containers were safely delivered to Shanghai. The journey of 25,000 nautical miles achieved a CO2 reduction equal to the annual emissions of 200 households.