Heerenveen Cheese factory We look at what we can do in addition to the standard measures to save energy per location. An example is the evaporator at the cheese factory in Heerenveen. This evaporator turns thin whey into thick whey. There are six lorries used for the transport of thin whey, as opposed to thick whey, which only uses one lorry. That saves hundreds of lorry trips annually. In the context of food safety, cleaning the facilities and machines is a very important part, which uses a lot of water. We clean our tanks following the CIP technique (cleaning in place). Because of an adjustment at the flush tunnels, we already save 2,000 litres of cleaning water a day. By improving the cleaning process of the cheese presses, 6,000 litres of detergent, leach, and acid does not end up in the drainage system. And we reuse condensation in the CIP set. Katwoude Cheese Factory In Katwoude, we make full use of solar panels. The goal is to eventually generate as much electricity as we use. There are currently 800 panels on the site, with another 600 to be added in 2022. The solar panels have been registered with PV Cycle. They take care of recycling the panels as soon as they are no longer functional. Up to 96% of a panel can be reused. Uniquely, we are one of the few with solar panels that also generate heat. That heat is used for the washing water that must always be 38 degrees during the process of making cheese. We collect about 1.5 million liters of rainwater. We use this water for the visitors’ toilets, which are used by thousands of visitors each year, but also as drinking water for the Jersey cows. So the more rain that falls, the less tap water we need. New construction is planned at this production site in the coming years. With all the insights we are now gaining, we can make this cheese 24 investing in sustainable energy sources Both our cheese production facility in Katwoude and Heerenveen run 100% on green electricity. Our stores in the Netherlands have also all switched to green electricity, and the stores abroad will also switch as soon as the contracts allow. 0 50 100 150 200 250 300 2021 2020 2019 2018 2017 Energy generated from solar power (in kWh)
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy ODY1MjQ=