“Sustainability is crucial”: GNT proves significant carbon footprint reductions after switching to green energy

11 Jan 2023 --- Externally verified data shows that GNT reduced the average carbon footprint of its plant-based EXBERRY Coloring Foods by 19% in the first year of the company’s sustainability plan. GNT becomes the first coloring foods supplier to issue a Greenhouse Gas Verification Statement and simultaneously releases its new carrot-based color, enabling red meat alternatives to change shade during cooking.

This external verification for the GNT’s emissions data is significant because it enables it to build trust and communicate our efforts transparently as part of a long-term strategy to “become the leader in its field on sustainability.”

Speaking to FoodIngredientsFirst, Rutger de Kort, sustainability manager, GNT Group, explains how the Statement is an important step forward for GNT. 

“It not only measures our carbon footprint in our factories but along our supply chain as well. Having a vertically integrated supply chain is a real advantage here as we have direct access to the farmers’ fields and don’t have to rely on second-hand information,” de Kort says. 

“Getting external verification for data builds trust and helps us to identify opportunities for future reductions in our overall footprint. It shows our customers they can rely on us to do the right thing in our efforts to become the leaders in our field of sustainability. We’ll be continuing to report our carbon emissions in line with international standards and to seek external verification for future reports.” 

Meanwhile, the EXBERRY Compound Red range allows plant-based products to imitate raw meat’s color before appearing rare, medium, or well-done when heated. It’s made from carrots and is emulsifier-free.

The range can be combined with different EXBERRY Coloring Foods to create tailor-made shades for meat substitute products, including burgers, sausages, minced meat and meatballs.

 The innovation results from GNT’s investment in and collaboration with ETH Zurich spin-off company microPow, which developed a patented technology to encapsulate ingredients. The natural encapsulation solution melts when the temperature increases to release the color concentrate.

Green energy
Explaining how vital sustainability is to GNT in the broader sense, de Kort says that if a company isn’t sustainable, it won’t have a future. 

And how one of the most important targets in the company’s sustainability plan is to reduce the intensity of its factories’ CO2-equivalent emissions by at least 50% over the decade. 

The EXBERRY Compound Red range allows plant-based products to imitate raw meat’s color before appearing rare, medium, or well-done when heated.“Our sustainability plan contains a number of highly challenging targets, and we’ve had to examine all of our processes to identify opportunities for improvement. We intend to achieve our goals over the course of the decade, but we’ve already carried out several important initiatives that have allowed us to cut our environmental footprint,” de Kort continues.

“The most significant to date has been the switch to green electricity at our production sites, which took place in 2020. We’ve also been able to achieve various efficiency gains in our factories and introduced superior technological solutions. State-of-the-art filters, for example, can significantly cut water and energy use. With our ongoing focus on optimization and operational excellence, we’re continuously improving our processes to minimize our environmental impact.

“The Greenhouse Gas Verification Statement gives us a reliable baseline to work from and allows us to identify new opportunities for carbon reductions,” de Kort notes.

What does it mean?
The company can now provide comprehensive, benchmarked information on EXBERRY Coloring Foods’ organizational footprint to customers.

The statement details GNT’s carbon footprint from 2019 to 2021. The auditor SGS verified the emissions data according to the internationally recognized ISO14064 standard, which includes emissions from carbon dioxide, methane and nitrous oxide across six different reporting categories. 

GNT’s total carbon footprint dropped by 3,427 metric tons to 38,656 between 2019 and 2021, primarily due to the use of green electricity at its production sites.

 The most significant contributors to GNT’s carbon footprint are direct emissions from natural gas and indirect emissions related to the purchase of heat and steam. Emissions related to purchased goods – such as raw materials, ingredients and packaging – and waste streams are also important factors.

Last year, GNT announced 17 key sustainability targets to hit over the course of a decade, such as slashing the environmental footprint for EXBERRY product ranges by 25% between 2020 and 2030, as well as reducing its factories’ CO2-equivalent emissions by at least 50%. 

De Kort flags that the company’s next annual report, scheduled for spring, will detail progress made on these 17 targets. 

By Gaynor Selby