Olam Food Ingredients (ofi) has invested in the installation of two biomass boilers in their cocoa processing plants in the Netherlands and Germany. The boilers use cocoa shells as fuel to generate steam which powers the cocoa processing unit. ofi produces their premium brands deZaan in their factories in Koog aan de Zaan and in Mannheim /Germany.
deZaan-boiler has been partly founded
The boiler at Koog aan de Zaan was partly funded by a subsidy from the Netherlands Enterprise Agency (RVO) and took over four years from concept to completion. It will reduce natural gas usage and CO2 emissions at the facility by 50%. In 2022 alone, ofi used 8,000 tons of residual cocoa shells to generate green energy equivalent to using 3.4 million cubic meters of natural gas, helping cut absolute CO2 emissions at the facility by 23%. This is the equivalent of warming over 3,000 Dutch houses per year.
Mannheim boiler with joint venture support
The second boiler at ofi’s factory in Mannheim has been developed through a joint venture with energy company MVV. It has the potential to provide up to 90% of the steam needed to power the facility, saving approximately 8,000 tons of CO2 annually. The new roll-out adds to the circular biomass shell boilers used in ofi cocoa factories in Brazil, Côte d’Ivoire, Indonesia, and Singapore. This latest move forms part of ofi’s ambition for sustainable cocoa, Cocoa Compass, which sets ambitious goals – including a 30% reduction in natural capital costs by 2030. In 2021, ofi reduced these costs in its global cocoa processing operations by 11% per metric ton of product output, partly thanks to its network of biomass shell boilers and other initiatives such as green electricity and solar panels.
Source and Picture: ofi