Damm's El Prat de Llobregat factory valorizes close to 100% of its waste
This production center already valorizes 97% of its waste and self-generates 89% of the energy it consumes, which has allowed it to obain the AENOR Zero Waste certification
The Damm El Prat de Llobregat (Barcelona) factory continues to move forward with its integration and compliance strategy involving Sustainable Development objectives, and consolidates its circular economy model, with which the factory valorizes up to 97% of the waste generated from its production activities. This milestone has allowed the Damm production center to obtain the Zero Waste certificate awarded by AENOR, which another six Damm production centers already boast.
The organized management of waste allows it to be reused and/or transformed into raw material, which is then reintroduced into the value chain, generating a positive effect with regard to natural resources and ecosystems. The constant work carried out to minimize its environmental impact has led the company to consolidate the application of a circular model as one of the main axes of its environmental policy.
As part of its commitment to the minimization of waste, Damm has managed to valorize over 90% of the waste generated by its production, betting on the circularity of materials like glass and aluminum from cans. Furthermore, 100% of Damm's containers are recyclable, over 50% of beer containers are returnable.
Similarly, the end waste from the beer filtration process is used as a natural, organic correction for crops. Another example of circular reuse is the carbon dioxide from fermentation, which is collected in order to be used again, and thus make the factory self-sufficient with regard to carbonated gas. Additionally, the organic material from the waste water is transformed into energy, which is self-consumed in the productive process.
The company also promotes circularity with regard to the management of byproducts obtained from the production process. An example of this is the reuse of 100% of the bagasse resulting from the cereal cooking process during beer preparation. This byproduct is supplied to farms as animal feed, mainly for cows, in order to return the grain to the land, and in so doing, close the cycle. In fact, this lst year, 100,000 tons of bagasse generated by the Estrella Damm factory were reused. A similar process is also carried out with the yeast extracted from the fermentation process, which subsequently becomes animal feed.
"Obtaining the AENOR Zero Waste certificate at seven of our centers, with Damm's El Prat de Llobregat factory among them, acknowledges the work carried out by Damm for years, in order to improve the sustainability of our entire production chain. The company has managed to valorize almost 26,000 tons of waste during the last year", said Juan Antonio López Abadía, director of Damm's Department for Environment and Energy Optimization.
