35 ”Developing business while diminishing our carbon footprint In addition to being energy-intensive, vegetable oil processing requires large amounts of water, mainly for cooling and steam production. Most AAK products do not contain water on leaving the plants. Water consumption Combined, the Group’s production plants use approximately 24,000,000 m3 of surface water. This water, which is used for cooling, has no contact with products or pollutants and is returned to the source without any change in quality. The discharged water may, however, be slightly warmer than when entering the Group’s system. Ground water and municipal water used in processing totalled 2,300,000 m3, an increase of 4 percent compared to 2013. However, calculated as processing water per MT produced, consumption remained the same. Water discharge When water is discharged, its quality is measured by two different methods: BOD5 (biochemical oxygen demand) and COD (chemical oxygen demand). This determines the degree of pollution and has to be within stipulated limit values. The method used is defined by the local authorities. Total BOD5 for sites using this method was 6 MT while COD was 1,230 MT. Measurements are within the stipulated limits. All discharged water from AAK sites is treated at own or municipal treatment plants. Water Water consumption X 1000 m3 2500 2000 1500 1000 500 0 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 Water discharge X 1000 m3 2000 1500 1000 500 0 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 During 2014, AAK South America finished an investment, aiming at increasing the business of new products in the South American region. In order to make the project viable the new products had to be competitive in terms of price. Therefore, it was necessary to optimize the costs for the palm fractions used in the new products’ recipes. At the production premises in AAK Uruguay, a new method for the rapid melting of palm fractions has been developed, allowing the reception of palm fractions directly from Asia, the first link in the palm chain production. Changing the logistic route Asia-Europe-Uruguay to Asia- Uruguay has not only helped to develop the business, it has also diminished the transportation carbon footprint for the palm derivatives used. María Soledad Regional Manager for Applications and Product Quality, AAK South America
AAK - Sustainability Report 2014/2015
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