New purposes for side streams and new lines of business
New uses for the side streams of the food industry in the Lahti region and the resulting financial benefits are developed constantly.
The by-products of producing drinks are used in the production of bioethanol and as feed for livestock. Everything possible from cardboard to wood, aluminium and plastic is sorted at the Hartwall brewery. In addition to these materials, the brewery recycles all by-products of their operations, such as mash, excess yeast and spare liquids.
Mash, a by-product of brewing beer, has been sold to suppliers of feed for a long time. Now, new types of using mash in paper and paperboard manufacturing processes, where it can replace some of the wood-based fibres to an appropriate extent, are being developed.
The side streams of the oat milling process are used in the Lahti Energia bio-plant in Fazer’s site in Lahti. The fuel of the bio-power plant is the oat hull supplied by the oat mill. The facility produce heat and industrial steam to serve Fazer’s entire factory area in Lahti: the mill, bakery and rye crisp production lines, as well as xylitol factory.
Oat hulls are used also in producing oat-hull bread bags that are used at Fazer Shop-in-Shop bakeries. As much as 25% of the material in this unique packaging innovation is made of oat hulls.
Fazer constantly develops the degree of processing its side streams so that no hulls go to waste and co-operates with the grain value chain to develop more environmentally friendly farming.
The Grain Cluster is also developing the recovery of carbon dioxide and new ways of using the carbon dioxide generated by the food and process industry.