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DNV GL, the world leader in management system certifications, has recently awarded Valagro the certificate for complying with the ISO 50001 standards, published by ISO (International Organization for Standardization) at the end of 2011.
The awarded certification demonstrates Valagro’s commitment to comply with the ISO 50001 standards, with the aim of improving the efficiency of its energy management systems and decreasing the overall energy consumption and environmental impact. Energy is certainly one of the main factors that affect the environmental footprint; therefore ISO 50001 fits perfectly with Valagro’s global strategy for reducing the environmental impact of its production process. Since 2014, Valagro has implemented four systems that have received the Carbon Footprint certification from the Ministry of Environment. Thanks to these systems, the company can monitor carbon dioxide emissions and other greenhouse gasses throughout the product’s entire life cycle.
ISO 50001 requires a framework of systems and process management that guarantee the continuous improvement in energy efficiency. This also offers businesses the opportunity to integrate optimisation strategies into the daily processes, which can ultimately improve the energy performance and efficiency.
To this end, the company has monitored the energy consumption and has identified areas of potential improvement. Based on the data collected, the company has planned the initial procedures for the next two years 2015-2016, which amount to approximately 200 thousand Euros.
Such plans include an improved system for monitoring energy consumption, which allows to collect detailed data on the main lines and to replace any energy inefficient machinery. Replacing the air pumps in the pressurised system, for example, can reduce energy consumption by 10%.
The plan of action also includes an executive project for the installation of a cogeneration plant (a generator that also employs its heat for ambient heating) that will save the company 30% on the cost of purchasing electricity and methane separately.
In the long term, Valagro will benefit from these changes in terms of both savings and minimised waste. They will also reduce the emission of greenhouse gasses thus helping the environment and the community.
The adoption of ISO 50001, along with other strategies to limit the environmental footprint, demonstrates Valagro’s present and future commitment towards a continuous improvement in quality of its products and environmental sustainability.