Business South June 2021

44 | Karicare aiming to become carbon neutral DAIRY INDUSTRY Danone New Zealand D anone is aiming for its iconic milk for- mula brand Karicare to become carbon neutral by 2030. “Karicare is the first milk formula brand in Australia and New Zealand to commit to such a strong target, with Karicare Gold+ Organic one of the first carbon neutral products being certified in 2022. With this we are offering consumers the opportunity to make better purchasing choices for the planet,” says Leon. Karicare will achieve its carbon emission reduction through many initiatives including a $30m biomass boiler to provide renewable heat at its South Island spray drying facility near Balclutha. Traditionally boilers in the industry work on a mix biomass/coal, biomass /LPG gas, 100% coal or 100% LPG – gas. The Danone boiler will be the first one for a New Zealand dairy plant to work exclusively on biomass, making it a unique achievement for the industry, says Leon. Leon says that since the New Zealand site specifications were unique, the boiler was specifically designed for the site in Finland by Danone’s partner KPA. Danone’s key partner and wood supplier, AZWOOD, is a local kiwi company specialising in high quality wood energy fuel. Working hand in hand with Azwood, Danone selected a sustainable alternative to LPG to run its boiler. The biomass is highly sustainable because it will only use scrap wood and wood residue from sustainably managed forests within 50km of the site to ensure a low carbon foot- print for transport. Operational by the end of this year, the new biomass boiler will eliminate around 20,000 tonnes of CO2 emissions annually. Despite challenges in 2020, mainly due to COVID-19, Danone and its partners have been working hard to make sure the biomass boiler will be operational as soon as possible and is ex- pecting the commissioning to be ready in the fourth quarter of 2021. Danone has also switched to 100% renew- able electricity for all its New Zealand plants last year. Between the move to renewable energy and biomass-based heating, the total operational CO2 emissions at the Balclutha plant will be reduced by 95%. Leon says that this is an integral part of Danone’s worldwide ambition to be a zero-net carbon company by 2050. Danone’s dairy spray drying facility in the South Island is also on track to become a carbon neutral facility by 2023, another major target for Danone and for the New Zealand dairy industry. The project has been many years in the making. “The conversation started five years ago so this is truly a long term commitment on which several teams have been working. It will also enable the creation of ten indirect jobs in the Otago region. Achieving the construction of our biomass boiler and the carbon reduction associated with the commissioning is really something the team is looking forward to.” Leon says Danone has also been sharing its knowledge and expertise about biomass internationally and several other projects are progressing, including one in Indonesia. “This is a prime example of how Danone is com- mitted to deliver its One Planet. One Health vision, with concrete and measurable actions, as the urgency of climate change requires us to preserve the only planet we have.” Leon says that in the long term Danone is looking to limit its operations’ environmental impact as much as possible and preserve New Zealand’s local resources with large scale measures. Looking at what the company has recently achieved in Brazil with its first Zero Impact facility (zero water discharge, zero waste to landfill, zero carbon emissions), Leon says that Danone in New Zealand is already on its way on an exciting journey, exploring sustainability opportunities with local compa- nies for its facilities in Aotearoa. T New products - page 46 AJAX BUILDING CONTRACTORS LTD Commercial, Industrial, Residential, Civil Engineering, Construction throughout Southland and Central, West and South Otago PO Box 388 Gore Mataura Highway GORE 9740 Phone: 03 208 9145 Tom: 027 215 1037 www.ajaxbuilding.co.nz Proud to supply building services to Danone Nutricia. PROUDLYSUPPORTINGDANONENUTRICIA Motor Bearing Specialists are proud to support Danone Nutricia Motor Bearing Specialists Ltd • Bearing & Vibration Analysis • Thermal Imaging • Laser Shaft Alignment • Balancing (Dynamic & Insitu) Mobil: 027 222 5442 | Phone: (03) 688 7542 Email: rodney@mbs.net.nz | Web: www.mbs.net.nz Icon Logistics Ltd proud to be associated with Danone Nutricia