AND WE DEEPLY CARE ABOUT IT
When it comes to the environmental aspects of our business, we do not make any compromises and constantly strive to be a leader in this area.
As early as 1997, Zipperle was one of the first companies in Italy to receive the important EMAS certificate (Eco-Management and Audit Scheme).
Responsible use of energy plays a very important role for us because we are aware that our production lines for juice concentrates, fruit pulps and flavours are very energy-intensive. In order to live up to our responsibility for climate and environmental protection, we strive to continuously optimize our production processes.
“Our headquarters in Merano is located in one of the most beautiful alpine regions, embedded in South Tyrol’s beautiful mountains and right in the middle of one of the largest fruit growing areas in Europe.
Therefore, we are aware that our long-term economic goals can only be achieved by treating our environment with the utmost respect. As a result, we support and plan measures for continuous improvement of our operations in regards to the environment which benefits nature and the future generations who inhabit it.”Thomas Brandstätter, Managing Director
We are aware of our responsibility for society and the environment and act upon it by:
- Ensuring that environmental concerns are minimised when acquiring new technologies or developing new processes, taking into account the investment itself and the best available technology.
- Striving for continuous improvement of all processes by saving resources and minimizing their impact on the environment. We also aim to keep the use of potentially hazardous materials to a minimum and try to increase the amount of reusable packaging we use; in doing so, we go beyond legal requirements.
- Constantly monitoring and documenting emissions caused by our site and openly sharing the information we obtain with the responsible authorities.
- Informing about our activities that help achieve our environmental and social goals.
- Trying to increase the share of organic and contract grown fruit when buying our raw materials.
A respectful and sustainable approach to nature and its resources is our top priority.
As an eco-certified company, we comply with ISO 14001 and EMAS standards. All of our fruit residues are re-used to generate energy.
Ecological awareness has been a crucial part of our investment policy for years. We dry our organic residues from fruit processing, which allows us to generate renewable energy that flows back into the production process. As a result we were able to reduce our use of fossil fuels by 25%!
We are planning significant activities and investments over the next few years in the field of water management and steam production. Going forward, we aim to save even more electricity, steam and cleaning agents, as well as reduce our carbon footprint in order to remain a leader in our industry.
Electrical vehicles
Our vehicle fleet will also see a continuous trend towards renewables in the future.
Zipperle already owns two electric vehicles and the goal is to go fully electric where possible in the near future. Almost all of our forklifts are already powered by electricity.
Internal production of nitrogen
We produce nitrogen from two reactors that extract it from the air by means of air compression. The advantage of this method is that no trucks are needed to deliver the liquid nitrogen, making it the more environmentally sustainable option.
Electrical vehicles
Our vehicle fleet will also see a continuous trend towards renewables in the future.
Zipperle already owns two electric vehicles and the goal is to go fully electric where possible in the near future. Almost all of our forklifts are already powered by electricity.
Internal production of nitrogen
We produce nitrogen from two reactors that extract it from the air by means of air compression. The advantage of this method is that no trucks are needed to deliver the liquid nitrogen, making it the more environmentally sustainable option.
Solar panels
Parts of our rooftop are covered by solar panels which produce around 700,000 kW of electricity per year. They contribute to reducing our CO2 footprint by saving 400 tons of CO2 annually.
Electricity
In 2007, Zipperle was the driving force behind the construction of the first district heating plant in Merano. The project was realised in close cooperation with Alperia, the largest local energy provider.
The success of this concept lies in the fact that the plant is operational all year round, resulting in optimal utilization.
In the summer, Zipperle is the main consumer of steam and approximately 30mio Kwh are purchased from the plant annually.
During the winter months, surrounding private households are supplied with heating.
In addition, we obtain 13,000 MWh of electricity from this district heating plant, which corresponds to 80% of our total annual electricity demand.
Internal wastewater pre-treatment plant
Large quantities of wastewater are sometimes produced during fruit processing. It is treated in the company’s own wastewater pre-treatment plant to reduce the burden on the local sewage plant. The sludge produced during filtration is dewatered through a decanter and transported to the power station, where it is dried together with the fruit residues and used to generate steam.
Internal drying and waste-to-energy plant
Our fruit processing activities create up to 30,000 tons of fruit residues per year, which are dried in an internal drying plant and then used to generate energy. The energy obtained in this process is used to generate steam (approx. 10t/h) and also supplies the necessary amount of heat for the drying plant itself.
This process generates up to 15,000 MWh of thermal energy annually, which covers around ¼ of our annual needs.
