2022: GEA’s sustainability journey moves with pace

27 Dec 2022

GEA’s sustainability journey moves with pace

In bringing our Mission 26 strategy to life, GEA looks back on an eventful 2022. Here are some of the ways our engineers have risen to the challenges of our time: climate change, resource efficiency and food security.

Earlier this year at the COP26, the meat and dairy industries were identified as part of the climate crisis. A growing population needs to be fed, but how can we do this sustainably?

In the article, Greener pastures for dairy farming we see how our feeding automation solutions make a real difference for farmers by reducing labor time and energy costs while improving feed efficiency and milk production. Could this be a gamechanger for the future of sustainable dairy farming? We believe so.

A taste of tomorrow

Our feature story What is cellular agriculture and how can we maximize it?, highlights an emerging new trend in the food sector spurred by the global demand for beef and other meat products. To meet overall nutrition requirements in the future, the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) predicts that food production must increase by 70 percent. At the same time, consumer preferences are shifting as people make more deliberate food choices. Enter New Food and cellular agriculture, which could play a role in fulfilling future nutrition requirements. At the same time, these developments would take the pressure off current food production processes and the environment. Could New Food be the next best thing since sliced bread?

Keeping our cool

In Back to the future - refrigeration technology with natural refrigerants in times of climate change – we discover how GEA is helping companies switch to natural refrigerants. Why, might you ask? Because the synthetic refrigerants have a significant drawback environmentally. So how can we meet the stricter cooling gas regulations to cut greenhouse emissions and protect the ozone layer? Our experts explain why there is a growing trend to use ammonia as a solution for industrial refrigeration and how this is a natural replacement for the synthetic refrigerants.

Waste not, want not

There is this old proverb, ‘Waste not, want not.’ It means that if you do not waste anything; if you manage your resources frugally, then you will not be in need in the future. This old adage resonates even today, when you read Minimizing freshwater withdrawals in production processes, where we encounter GEA’s solutions for promoting the circular use of water in production processes. By safeguarding global water resources, industries can reduce greenhouse gas emissions.

If you ever want to see GEA technology in action, look no further than Bengaluru and the story of Better water, better city. Bengaluru is the capital of the Indian state of Karnataka. The city, which is also known as the Silicon Valley of India, has an urban population estimated at 12.34 million people. With a growing population, water levels were dwindling and water quality deteriorated. Regional government stepped in and started a huge program to rejuvenate Sarakki, one of the largest lakes in Bengaluru – to reclaim the water. Now citizens can see the lakes come back to life, with the help of GEA decanter centrifuges.

In some instances things are good - but we want to make them better and that’s where we see great opportunities for creativity and innovation; like in We did it your whey. Sarah Meszaros, Senior Director of Business Line Dairy at GEA, weighs in on transforming potential waste or by-product into a valuable, protein-rich ingredient. Dumping, she says, is not an option.

Within crisis are seeds of opportunity

The year 2022 may have left you feeling out of gas with rising inflation and energy price hikes, but in the article: Mitigating climate change with district heating innovation, a solution to the energy crisis is on the horizon. GEA’s collaborative role in using technology to assist municipalities and local government grow less reliant on gases is highlighted. According to Kenneth Hoffmann, Product Manager Heat Pumps, GEA Heating & Refrigeration Technologies: “If your house is kept at a regular temperature between say, 18 to 21 °C, there is no need to burn gas at 600 °C to make it comfortable. Using heat pumps, we can boost the temperature of air brought in from outside to make your home very comfortable without using any gas.”

Engineering for a better world: Our enduring purpose

At GEA, a sustainable future is the only future we aspire to. We’re excited about the innovations we brought to our customers in 2022, along with the steps we’ve taken to bring emissions along the entire value chain closer to net zero. Our inclusion in the Down Jones Sustainability Europe Index (DJSI) is a significant confirmation that we’re on the right path. So stay tuned for 2023: Engineering for a better world has never been more important. And our entire team, that’s about 19,000 people worldwide, stands behind it.

Mission 26

What is Mission 26?

Mission 26 is our strategy to strengthen our position in the food, beverage and pharmaceutical industries for the next five years. Our plan is built on seven key levers to accelerate sustainable, profitable growth. The focus is on sustainability, innovation and digital solutions, New Food as well as excellence initiatives in sales, service and operations.
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