Efficiency. It’s a really nice word, don’t you think? E-FI-CIEN-CIA. We love it, especially as applied to sustainability.
At Peris we have two production plants, one for fresh fruit and vegetables (whole fruit and vegetables) and the other for fresh fruit and vegetables (cut fruit and vegetables, ready to eat). In both there are resources that are in constant use, such as light and water.
Saving electricity and reducing water consumption has been one of our priority objectives for 2021. All this, of course, without diminishing the quality of our work.
And we are overjoyed because we have achieved great energy efficiency results in both plants, while at the same time sales of our products have increased, which was obviously another of the objectives of the commercial area.
Producing more and reducing the carbon footprint of the agri-food industry
Producing more without increasing our carbon footprint is a goal we have been working towards for several years. However, in 2021 we made a series of important investments that have enabled us to achieve historic efficiency figures.
In the fresh-cut fruit plant, we have reduced electricity consumption in the fresh-cut plant by 10% per ton produced. This has been achieved through two main actions, training the teams on the efficient use of cold rooms and replacing halogen and fluorescent lights with LED lighting.
In addition, in the same period and in the same plant, we have also reduced water consumption per ton by 24%, thanks to various modifications and improvements in the melon, watermelon, pumpkin and celery washing tunnels.
The energy and water savings figures obtained are even more relevant if we look at the production and sales data of the R&R division, which increased in 2021. Specifically, sales of the product with the highest volume, piel de sapo melon, increased by 27%. The rest of the fresh-cut products, watermelon and pumpkin, maintained a stable level of sales.
In the fresh-cut plant, with similar measures, electricity savings were 22% and water savings were 13% per ton of product.
plant, with similar measures, light savings were 22% and water savings were 13% per ton of product.
Efficiency forecasts for the year 2022
The 2021 energy savings figures are really good, so they deserve an article in our blog. Reaching these savings quotas will be complicated, but we will certainly continue to work on improving our efficiency in pursuit of a better sustainability policy. This is our ongoing commitment to the planet.
Among the objectives for this year, always in line with the ISO 14001 standard, is the reduction of paper consumption and the optimization of waste separation for more effective recycling. In addition, we will also conduct training sessions for our teams this year to help them become more aware of water consumption, which should result in a reduction in the volume of water consumed.
And in this race to be increasingly sustainable, we do not forget the consumers, who are an essential part. We convey our message to them (to you) through the labeling of our products, with symbols that contribute to the didactics of waste segregation.