Palsgaard A/S to Become CO2 Neutral by 2020
Certified green energy from windmills, traded through approved RECS certificates, is an opportunity that Palsgaard has chosen for all electricity used in Palsgaard’s Danish premises from 1 January 2011 in order to contribute to reduction of the global CO2 emission.
1/12/2011 --- Palsgaard is pleased to announce that the company has declared a goal of becoming CO2 neutral by 2020. A large step was taken on 1 January 2011 when Palsgaard entered into an agreement to have all its electricity supplied from RECS certified green energy from newly established windmill farms.
Production of emulsifiers and stabilizers demands an extremely high amount of energy, and CO2 neutrality is a very ambitious goal to reach; a goal requiring sincere efforts and creativity. However, Palsgaard has already success stories about substantial energy savings that have been carried into effect; such as optimization of the production facilities and the installation of a straw burner for heating, fueled by straw from Palsgaard’s own fields.
“As our production is a heavy energy consumer it may be necessary to supplement our energy resources with fossil fuel. In return, we will grow energy crop on our land and we also intend to install solar cells in order to contribute to CO2 reductions, but most importantly have a constant focus on reduction of energy consumption by saving and recycling” says Birger Brix, Chairman of the board.
Certified green energy from windmills, traded through approved RECS certificates, is an opportunity that Palsgaard has chosen for all electricity used in Palsgaard’s Danish premises from 1 January 2011 in order to contribute to reduction of the global CO2 emission.
The documented green energy is produced by using one of the world’s natural and non polluting energy resources - the wind. The electricity from wind turbines form part of Palsgaard’s energy consumption and is purchased corresponding to the amount consumed. “The electricity in our cables will not become CO2 neutral as such, since you can’t separate electricity, but we are willing to pay a little extra to make sure that new wind energy in being produced” says Birger Brix.
By making the energy savings effective through green energy realizations at Palsgaard’s premises and by purchasing green energy, the company's environmental impact is reduced significantly.
Palsgaard has to be prepared for future trends and Birger Brix explains that a battery charging depot will be installed at Palsgaard in order to give visitors and employees the opportunity to charge batteries for electric cars entering the market in the time to come.
For supervision and co-operation for the extended energy saving plans, Palsgaard has allied with NRGi, a consumer owned Danish energy supplier experienced in green solutions reducing the environmental impact.
Brix says it is important to contribute to bring down the CO2 strain because this is a natural part of our corporate values. “Seen through the eyes of Palsgaard, the benefits of the company’s climate related activities are two-fold; primarily they help support the global environment, but they also create business as the global markets show increasing preference for responsible suppliers,” Brix concluded.
Palsgaard is a specialist in manufacturing emulsifiers, stabilizers and other specialized ingredients for application in the bakery, dairy, chocolate, ice cream, margarine and fine food sectors. With pilot plants within these areas, Palsgaard goes beyond simply supplying ingredients by offering comprehensive customer support, making the step between initial ideas and production as small as possible. The company manufactures its products according to HACCP principles and is certified as a Clean and Safe company, in addition to holding an ISO 9001 certificate. This is expected to be upgraded to an ISO 22000 in February 2011. Palsgaard focuses on Corporate Social Responsibility and is a member of the RSPO, GreenPalm and Sedex. In 2009 the company won the “Wise m2” award initiated by Danish building society Real Kredit Danmark for its activities related to CO2 reductions and have recently obtained PEFC certification for its forests.
