How Sustainable Food and Beverage Brands Can Achieve Net Zero

In recent years, an increasing emphasis has been placed on sustainability. Brands that can confidently say they’re working to achieve net zero emissions, and actively putting eco-friendly measures in place, are well-respected and supported by consumers - who are now more likely to invest in businesses with shared values.

This drive towards sustainability is evident in the Corporate Knights index. This highlights the top performers in sustainability who are ranked on their ability to respond to climate change challenges and run an ethical company.

For food and beverage manufacturers and distributors, proving they’re green is crucial, whether it’s by limiting greenhouse gas emissions, showing they’re a good social contributor, or by demonstrating their revenues are coming from green sources.

This is just the tip of the ever-melting iceberg - an iceberg that goes much, much deeper than it appears to at first glance. Achieving net zero emissions is a tall order, but it’s doable if you put the right steps in place.

At Aggreko, we’re committed to helping our customers create sustainable businesses that are good for the environment and extremely profitable.

Here’s how we can help you do that.

Reduce Your Water Usage

Water forms a large part of manufacturing activities, especially in the food and beverage sector.

To help our customers mitigate the amount of water they use, we implement closed loop cooling and chiller systems and ensure any cooling towers are performing at the top of their game.

Smart preventative maintenance is also key, so we implement systems that divert used water back into the environment at the right temperature.

Make Existing Processes More Efficient

We know you’re probably already taking steps towards a sustainable future, but there’s always more that can be done.

Existing processes can be tweaked and optimized to become more efficient versions of themselves, and innovation can help take systems to the next level.

Even tiny tweaks to small parts of your manufacturing process or delivery systems can make a difference.

We’ve recently started using the energy-management focused ISO 50001 standardization - also dubbed the “plan - do - act - check” process - as a tool to help businesses achieve net zero. It ensures we can conduct successful management reviews, identify opportunities, and check what’s working well. Since using this approach, big-name brands like Toyota and 3M have reduced their energy usage by 15%.

Provide Energy in New Ways

Part of going green and achieving net zero is drastically limiting consumption. But this needs to go much further than just cutting back a bit. Instead, it’s about reinventing the wheel and considering ways you can provide power and energy in renewable forms. This means ditching fossil fuels and replacing them with greener energy sources like hydro, nuclear, bioenergy, wind, and solar.

Microgrids are a great solution here, as they are highly resilient and draw from a variety of green energy sources. Microgrids are versatile, too. They can power a small group of buildings or take the form of a major solar farm.

At Aggreko, we provide microgrids on a rental basis which means you can implement a change to your energy source at lightning speed. This will reduce your consumption almost immediately and get your sustainability efforts off to a great start.

Bring a Sustainable Contractor On Board

We are constantly striving to displace fossil fuels from our energy mix and we’re close to achieving net zero. Our dedication to a sustainable future rubs off on our customers who can revel in our knowledge and expertise on going green.

With the right contractor at your side, you too can achieve net zero. It’s simply a case of implementing the right solutions and choosing the right equipment - not to mention opting for renewable sources of energy to fuel that equipment.

We have a huge fleet of solar panels, hybrid systems, and batteries that can power food and beverage companies both big and small. Whether you’re an international manufacturer or a small town distributor, we’ve got the equipment to suit your needs.

On top of this, we have some of the most cutting-edge technology on hand to improve and optimize our processes and systems.

Final thoghts: start your journey to Net Zero

The most forward-thinking brands are moving quickly into the sustainable space. With a slew of smart ways to improve sustainability and a host of solutions that have been designed specifically to reduce consumption and make processes greener, it’s easier than ever for food and beverage brands to reach net zero.

To find out what will work for you, you need a knowledgeable partner on hand. A partner that can walk you through the process of going green and identify key areas for improvement on your site and within your systems. Our extensive experience means we can design and implement sustainable solutions quickly and easily with minimal disruption, whether it’s a standalone microgrid or a greener way to fuel your equipment.

Find out more about our solutions for the food and beverage sector

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