SARIA’s Doncaster site – which comprises businesses operating across the food chain by-products processing industry – is now running completely off-grid and using 100% renewable energy, thanks to its ReFood anaerobic digestion (AD) plant.

Recycling more than 160,000 tonnes of food waste every year, the state-of-the-art facility generates 5MWh of electricity via combined heat and power (CHP), alongside hot water and heat. A sustainable biofertiliser is also produced as a by-product of the process, which is used by local farmers to support crop growth.

As part of a group-wide sustainability initiative, a percentage of this energy is now being used to power other businesses sharing the Ings Road site. These include Nortech Foods, which produces an extensive range of animal and vegetable fats for catering and consumer use; SPF and APC GB, which produce quality ingredients for use within pet food products; and the SARVAL pet food plant.

A significant number of the products manufactured by these businesses are widely used across the UK’s retail, hospitality and catering sectors. For example, pet food ingredients prepared by businesses operating from SARIA’s Doncaster site are sold via every major supermarket chain in the UK, while fats produced and packaged by Nortech Foods are used throughout the manufacturing and catering sectors.

With ReFood Doncaster providing electricity, heating and hot water, this means that the site is powered entirely by renewable energy; running completely off-grid. In addition, any food waste produced as a by-product of manufacturing processes is sent directly to the ReFood facility, making SARIA’s Doncaster operations completely self-sufficient in terms of energy production and food waste recycling – a true example of best practice manufacturing.

Philip Simpson, commercial director at SARIA Ltd, comments: “With a group-wide commitment to energy efficiency, realising our goal of achieving off-grid status is a noteworthy achievement – demonstrating true commitment to meeting food sector sustainability targets.

“Through continued investment and our pioneering AD process, we are now able to not only provide homes and businesses across the region with access to a complexly sustainable energy source, but also minimise our own reliance on fossil fuels.”

As Europe’s largest food chain by-products processor, SARIA prioritises sustainability across its business operations. As well as boasting a highly environmentally-friendly vehicle fleet, sustainable building methods are utilised in every new site development and expansion project undertaken. What’s more, each of the company’s UK facilities feature state-of-the-art energy saving measures to minimise environmental impact.