FARM FRITES CONTINUES ITS PLAN TO BE A SUSTAINABLE INDUSTRY LEADER WITH LATEST REPORT

Farm Frites has released its annual Sustainability Report in line with its commitment to reduce its impact on the environment and be an industry trail blazer by 2025.

As well as its focus on three core areas of CO₂ emissions, water and energy, the potato grower and manufacturer has also instigated wider initiatives to encourage biodiversity. The development of a natural sound barrier provides a safe haven for bees, bumblebees and other animals and alliances with associations such as the Polish Association for Sustainable agriculture are enhancing sustainable agriculture practices from its potato farmers.

 “Our continuous focus on sustainability within Farm Frites is starting to pay-off in terms of reductions to our environmental footprints,” explains Rutger de Kort, global sustainability manager at Farm Frites, “The next challenge is in ensuring that we add value in this way along our complete manufacturing process.  A great first step has been taken recently in launching our partnership with Green Circles; an initiative which aims to tackle value chain related sustainability issues such as soil health, biodiversity and carbon free logistics. We have entered this unique network to jointly work on creating a sustainable potato value chain, from farm to fork.”

In 2018, the company reported the following reductions.

CO2 

Savings equivalent to 5,786 one-way flights from Amsterdam to Tokyo

During 2018, Farm Frites reduced 20,253 tonnes of CO₂ through implementation of energy saving projects, such as heat recovery and insulation. 70 percent of these emissions related to natural gas and 30 percent related to electricity. A focus for the next years is to find alternatives for natural gas and increase the share of green electricity.

Water

Savings equivalent to 691,000,000 cups of tea

The water footprint was dramatically reduced, with 172 thousand cubic metres of water saved during 2018. 24 percent of the factory water intake was internally reused, and this focus will continue with the integration of new water saving projects and filtration systems such as reversed osmosis and ultra-filtration.

Energy

Savings equivalent to 49,000 batteries of a Tesla model S

17,000 GJs of energy were saved in 2018 thanks to new efficient machinery and an energy management system. Five percent of the total energy footprint was renewable and the company has an ambition to further invest in renewable energy sources including solar and wind.