Technology and environment

Water resources

Like our use of electricity and natural gas, our water use is strongly affected by seasonality, and is highest between May and October, when there is a greater flow of produce from farms for processing.
Regarding this valuable resource, upon which the future of the planet depends, we operate responsibly, investing to improve efficiency and sustainability.
In 2023, the water treatment plant in Alfonsine allowed us to recover 122,300 m3 of water and release 378,500 m3 (with permission for up to 750,000 m3).
Thanks to our purification plant, some of the outgoing clean water is recovered and reused – after being filtered and sanitised – for processes such as the cleaning of certain areas and equipment. The Larino plant is also managed according to procedures established in the Environmental Management System.
A number of studies are underway on interventions planned for 2023-2025, with the aim of reducing the use of potable water and increasing the volume of water recovered from the treatment plant.

Electricity use

Our commitment to a responsible use of environmental resources has also led to significant energy efficiency interventions implemented for the refrigeration units and departments of the Alfonsine plant, which have enabled us to considerably reduce electricity consumption.

To the same end, relamping was carried out at both the Larino and Alfonsine plants, involving the replacement of all lamps used on the production line, in warehouses and storage rooms with LED technology. Moreover, for rooms that are not in continuous use, LED technology has been combined with motion sensors to limit the use of lighting to when it is actually needed.
In 2022, further energy efficiency measures were implemented in the refrigeration units in order to reduce electricity consumption: most importantly the replacement of 2 ammonia compressors with inverters.

In 2023, an additional ammonia compressor, equipped with an inverter, was replaced.

Methane gas use

We chose to use methane to fuel our heating systems because of its highly efficient combustion and lower emission of the major pollutants into the atmosphere. The energy generated by our plants in the form of high-pressure steam is used to cook vegetables prior to freezing, to pasteurise and sterilise nectars, juices, fruit/vegetable drinks, tomato pulp and passatas, and for grilling vegetables in our special ovens.
An important intervention for more efficient use of methane, carried out in 2022, was the replacement of one steam generator by 4 steam generators with lower thermal power, greater efficiency and lower environmental impact. Additionally, further users have been added to utilize the thermal energy (hot water) made available by the cogeneration plant. The most recent intervention, carried out in 2023, concerns the preheating of water for hoses used in floor washing. Another thermal energy recovery, also implemented in 2023, allows for the heating of a thermostatic chamber by using the heat from the steam generator blowdowns.

The cogeneration plant

One of our most significant investments in energy efficiency is the 2017 construction of a cogeneration plant at the Alfonsine site, which enabled us to:

• produce on average 32,5% of the electricity needed for the operation of the Alfonsine production facility during the three-year period 2021-2023;
• generate some of the steam needed for production cycles;
• recover hot water for use in heating offices;
• optimise the plant’s energy efficiency thanks to the combination of electric and thermal energy, more efficient used together than separately.