Throw away less, use more!

Just as you do when you make food at home, we at Orkla consider it important to make optimal use of raw materials and avoid food waste when we make our products.

Around one third of all the food that is produced is not eaten, and food waste is one of the primary contributors to the world’s environmental challenges.

“We are committed to sparing the environment and optimising our use of resources. Consequently, we devote a great deal of effort to reducing food and other waste in our factories,” says Johan Clarin, Orkla Executive Vice President Operations.

To increase awareness of this issue, Orkla launched a new programme in 2017 that established common work methods, activities and initiatives for sharing experience and best practices. The goal is to halve food and other waste as a percentage of turnover by 2025.

The programme was first introduced in six factories that manufacture crisps and potato products in Norway, Sweden, Denmark, Finland and Latvia. The good results achieved there led to another project in some of Orkla’s ketchup and dressing factories.

“Whether we make ketchup, potato crisps or other grocery products, we focus on ensuring that the raw materials we purchase are turned into finished products and not waste. That’s both profitable and environmentally friendly,” remarks Inger Johanne Eikeland, Orkla SVP Environment, Health and Safety.

The project has examined everything from the way potatoes are peeled and processed at the various factories to how waste of labels can be reduced during production.

“By changing the process for slicing potatoes, the crisps factory at Skreia, where products like Totenflak and KiMs crisps are made, has reduced its water consumption by 1.8 million litres,” reports Emelie Lysberg, who heads the project in Orkla.

The factory in Åland, where Taffel crisps and Oolannin French fries are produced, has introduced new procedures for its two French fries lines, and reduced waste in the form of potato peelings by 900 tonnes per year.

Now six factories that manufacture cleaning products and other liquid products in bottles are also to be included in the project.

Did you know that:

• By changing the process for slicing potatoes, the crisps factory at Skreia has reduced its annual consumption of water by 1.8 million litres.
• A special guide for potato peeling is now being used for three production lines that make crisps and French fries.
• The potato peeling process on the French fries lines is now 30% faster, as a result of which around 900 tonnes less potato peel are thrown away as waste.
• Potato peel from the crisps line has been cut by approx. 365 tonnes per year.
• Orkla aims to reduce production waste and spills by 30% by 2020 and by 50% by 2025. Both targets are in relation to turnover.

For more information, please contact:
Emelie Lysberg
Project Consultant Production Strategy & Development, Orkla ASA
Mob.: +46 70 231 62 67