From waste to sustainability. A smart idea.

From numerous Lantm?nnen production facilities via recycling hubs in Denmark and Finland to the factory in Norrk?ping. Bread, dough and flour become ethanol, protein-rich feed ingredients and green carbon dioxide.

A question arose among employees at Lantm?nnen Agroetanol: Can we work with food waste from fellow subsidiary companies and take sustainability to a new level?

The answer was yes. Today, Agroetanol has three recycling hubs for food, in Norrk?ping, Sweden, since 2014, in Kotka, Finland, since 2018, and in Fredericia, Denmark, since 2020.

“Thanks to this circular flow with the recycling of food waste, Agroetanol saved 50,000 tons of carbon dioxide equivalents last year, or the equivalent of driving a car 8,000 times round the world”, says Victoria Edwards Done, Recycling Manager at Lantm?nnen Agroetanol.

This is how it works

At the food production company

Agroetanol collects food waste from Unibake and Cerealia in several countries and transports this to recycling hubs. Agroetanol also work closely with Lantm?nnen Oats, Reppe and Lantbruk and also collect substantial volumes from other food industries.

In the recycling hubs

Food waste is collected and removed from packaging in the hubs. The waste is mostly starch-rich and sugar-rich bread, dough, sugar and flour. “The bread is delivered either with our without packaging, while other waste can come in containers, large sacks or smaller packaging. This waste is processed to become storage stable and then sent for further processing.??

Loaded onto boats for sustainable shipping

Once storage reaches a certain level, the products are shipped onwards by boat to Norrk?ping. The boats hold 1,800-2,000 tons and have a lower climate footprint than road vehicles.

At the green factory in Norrk?ping

The ship moors and the processed food waste is unloaded as raw material for production.

The material is then processed into three sustainable products:

1. Fuel ethanol. This has a 95 percent lower carbon dioxide footprint than fossil fuels, much better for the environment.?
2. Protein-rich feed ingredient. This is a sustainable alternative to soy. The protein is a natural part of the ingredient produced.
3. Green carbon dioxide. This is purified, compressed and sold as e.g. carbonic acid for the drinks industry.