Avara Foods Adopts Green CO2 Usage

Avara Foods has announced the commencement of its first sustainable CO2 delivery, signaling a transformative shift from traditional production practices. Partnering with RenEco, the company is committed to adopting sustainable methods and moving closer to a circular economy. By harnessing poultry manure in RenEco's innovative anaerobic digesters, they not only produce biofuel but also generate commercial-grade CO2. This initiative underscores Avara’s dedication to sustainability and resilience, ensuring a stable and eco-friendly supply chain that meets the evolving needs of industries, particularly in the Food and Beverage sector.

Avara Foods has announced the establishment of a sustainable CO2 source as the latest achievement in its industry-leading responsible business initiative, For Good. This initiative spans all aspects of the company's operations and supply chain, demonstrating its commitment to delivering immediate results while ensuring future sustainability.

In the UK, most CO2 is sourced from Europe, typically as a byproduct of fossil fuel-intensive fertilizer production. Avara's partnership with RenEco revolutionizes this supply chain by utilizing poultry manure in anaerobic digesters. This innovative process not only yields biofuel but also produces commercial-grade CO2.

Poultry manure has long been valued as a potent fertilizer, yet its energy potential remains untapped. RenEco is at the forefront of unlocking this value, leveraging poultry manure alongside other feedstocks to generate energy and sustainable products like CO2 and biofuel. This local sourcing strategy mitigates the risk of shortages, especially crucial for industries like food and beverage that heavily rely on CO2.

Andrew Brodie, Director for People & Sustainability, highlighted the rationale behind the change, emphasizing their experience over the past five years in leveraging a well-designed sustainability agenda to generate commercial opportunities and benefits. He emphasized the critical role of CO2 as a resource in their business and stressed the importance of seizing opportunities to preserve this supply chain, unlock additional value, and reduce logistics footprint. Brodie underscored their commitment to a circular economy approach that integrates poultry manure, aligning with their broader sustainability goals and contributing to environmental stewardship.

In 2021, Avara Foods committed to meeting science-based Based Targets for carbon emission reduction, consistently surpassing these targets since then. The introduction of innovative packaging, which reduces plastic usage by up to 50%, has set a new benchmark in the sector. These accomplishments are underpinned by robust and accurate data management, recognized by the company's pioneering role as the first poultry business invited to join the BRC Mondra coalition. This coalition aims to develop a standardized method for calculating the carbon footprint of individual products.

William Wykes, Director at RenEco, highlighted their commitment to extracting value from waste and promoting circular economies to accelerate the shift away from fossil fuels. He emphasized that beyond CO2, their haulage fleet is pioneering in the UK by running entirely on bio-LNG produced within the same facility. This innovation will enable their new facility to generate enough bio-LNG to cover 8 million fossil-free HGV miles. Wykes emphasized the importance of changing perceptions around waste, recognizing its inherent value, and seizing opportunities for sustainable innovation in waste management and energy production.