Valio launches the Carbon-Neutral Dairy Farm pilot: target is to reduce carbon footprint of milk to zero in five years
Valio has launched a five-year Carbon-Neutral Dairy Farm pilot to test carbon-neutral dairy production actions in practice. Four Valio dairy farms in different parts of Finland are participating in the pilot. The pilot aims to find out how the concrete climate actions to be taken on the farms affect emissions from milk production, how they work in everyday farm life, and what their cost-benefits and impacts are. Emission reduction targets for the whole food chain create demand for carbon-neutral milk.The actions of Valio’s climate work and climate programme to date will be made available to
Valio is investing approximately EUR 70 million to modernise and overhaul the Seinäjoki production plant. The investments cover the construction of a new washing centre for the powder plant, modernisation of the powder plant’s drying tower and process overhaul, as well as construction of a new regional laboratory facility at the Seinäjoki site. The set of investments is scheduled for 2023–2026. The investments will increase the production plant’s capacity and improve operational and energy efficiency.Valio’s Seinäjoki plant is one of Valio’s most diverse in terms of its product range and
Finland’s first industrial-scale liquefied biogas production plant will be constructed in Nurmo, as Suomen Lantakaasu Oy and Atria Finland Ltd have made an investment decision on the construction of Nurmon Bioenergia’s biogas plant. The companies have decided to invest more than EUR 60 million to build a 100-GWh renewable biofuel production plant. Construction will begin immediately, and the plant is expected to be completed during 2026.The biogas plant will be built in the vicinity of Atria’s production plant in Nurmo. Preparatory groundwork are already underway. The biogas plant will
Suomen Lantakaasu Oy, the joint venture between Valio and energy company St1, has studied the possibility of launching a biogas plant project in the Ostrobothnia regions. Based on the study, the company has decided to proceed with the planning of two new plants in the Pedersöre-Kruunupyy and Nivala-Sievi areas. With the planned new plant complexes, Suomen Lantakaasu Oy advances towards its production target of one terawatt-hour by 2030.In February, Suomen Lantakaasu acquired a majority stake in Nurmon Bioenergia Oy. The company is already developing a biogas plant project in Southern
A new modern heat pump system was commissioned at the Seinäjoki production plant at the beginning of 2024, with the aim of achieving annual savings of around 12-14 per cent in heating at the plant. In about six months of operation, the new system has produced about 5800 MWh of heat. This is enough to heat the water for a five-minute shower for 2.8 million people in Finland.The new heat pump system replaces the old system that had reached the end of its useful life. The aim of the renewal was to improve the energy efficiency of the production plant and save on energy costs. The system has a
Food company Valio is making a significant investment of over EUR 60 million in the cheese production process at the Lapinlahti plant. The investment includes an expansion of the existing facilities and the replacement of the equipment. The investment is intended to replace the current manufacturing equipment, which has reached the end of its technical service life. Construction work will begin in the summer of 2024, and the new production line is expected to be commissioned in the spring of 2026.“With this significant investment, we secure the continuity of cheese production for a long
In February, Valio announced that it has been selected by Business Finland as a leading company to start the Food 2.0 project, which is an ongoing effort to develop the food system of the future and promote the competitiveness of food exports. Veera Virtanen has been appointed Ecosystem Lead of the partner ecosystem within the project. Around 50 business and community partners have already joined the ecosystem, and the goal is at least one hundred partners.“For food production, a genuine circular economy means that nutrients, energy and side streams circulate: everything produced along the
Valio’s sustainability bonus programme is being updated as of 1.5.2024. The sustainability bonus programme will continue to focus on improving animal welfare, reducing the carbon footprint of dairy farms, and milk production supporting biodiversity. The update will further increase the emphasis and choice of voluntary actions in the sustainability programme. Valio pays its owner entrepreneurs approx. 50 million euros annually for sustainability programme actions that go beyond legislative requirements.Valio’s sustainability bonus was last updated in 2023. In addition to the sustainability
The operating environment in 2023 was once again challenging for Valio and the entire food industry. The war in Ukraine and general economic uncertainty continued. Weakening consumer purchasing power and the drastic decline in the global market prices of industrial dairy products together with cost inflation, reflected on Valio’s result. Farms also continued to face a tight economic situation: costs were around 30 per cent higher at the end of 2023 compared to the beginning of 2021, although the rise in costs did ease during the year. In the challenging operating environment, Valio continued
Press release 23.11.2023
Leading Finnish dairy company Valio has launched a new milk protein concentrate (MPC), Valio Eila® MPC 65. Valio’s expertise in lactose free milk protein development helps manufacturers create better-tasting and healthier high-protein products to meet the growing global market needs.Valio has reimagined the future of protein with the launch of Valio Eila® MPC 65. The new concentrate continues in the footsteps of Valio’s other protein-enriching products, bringing the taste and texture of the end product to the forefront. Lactose free for better digestive comfort,
The Valio and St1 joint venture Suomen Lantakaasu Oy is exploring the implementation of new biogas plant complexes in several areas. The construction of possible new plant complexes is now being explored in the Kokkola-Pietarsaari, Nivala-Haapavesi and South Ostrobothnia regions. Along with the existing planned plant complexes, Suomen Lantakaasu Oy is progressing towards its production target of one terawatt-hour by 2030.Suomen Lantakaasu Oy’s investment in the industrial-scale, centralised biogas plant in Kiuruvesi and its satellite plants in Upper Savo and North Karelia is progressing on
Leading Finnish dairy company Valio collaborated with top nutritional scientists in a new study about the effects of MFGM and milk protein on the physical functioning of the elderly. The results show significant improvement in balance and physical performance even without an exercise interventionThis study is among the first conducted in Europe on the benefits of partially hydrolysed, high-protein milk products rich in MFGM when introduced to a regular everyday diet instead of through dietary supplements.
Separating the benefits of nutrition and exercise
“We wanted to separate the
Valio’s sustainability bonus programme for dairy farms was updated on 1.5.2023. Previously, farms that have taken actions to improve animal welfare have received additional pay for the milk they supply. Going forward, farms can receive an additional cent per milk litre for farming practices supporting biodiversity, for grazing their cattle and providing access to outdoor activity, and for efforts aiming to reduce the farm’s carbon footprint. With the update, Valio will pay its dairy farmer owners, through cooperatives, nearly 50 million euros annually for sustainability actions.Previously,
Leading Finnish dairy company Valio has launched a new infant-grade skimmed milk powder, Valio Prime SMP. The dry blend-optimized product offers infant milk formula (IMF) manufacturers a more straightforward production process while ensuring the highest microbiological quality.Valio Prime SMP is a unique new product built on decades of award-winning research and development. With this latest innovation in a category where product launches are rare, Valio is already creating a buzz in the market.
Skimmed milk powder that meets the strictest dry blending requirements in infant nutrition
Valio and VTT, Technical Research Centre of Finland Ltd, are participating in an international research project exploring the use of plasma technology to capture the methane in barn air and break it down into carbon dioxide. In Finnish conditions, the methane emissions generated in conjunction with milk production account for about 50 percent of milk’s carbon footprint. The goal of the research project is to develop equipment that can convert the greenhouse gas methane that is captured from barn air into less harmful carbon dioxide.In milk production, methane is generated in the cow’s rumen
Valio’s packages with caps will change to tethered caps step by step. Drinkable products with caps will be gradually changed to comply with the requirements of the EU Single-Use Plastics Directive. The aim of the directive is to reduce the amount of plastic litter in the environment, especially on ocean beaches, and to promote a circular economy. The change will require that the caps of any beverage containers of up to three litres must remain attached to the carton. The first changes in Valio’s packaging will be visible in the first half of 2023. All the necessary changes will be done by the
Suomen Lantakaasu Oy, the joint venture of Valio and energy company St1, is planning to build Finland’s biggest biogas production plant in in Upper Savo, Finland. The Ministry of Employment and the Economy has granted EUR 19.2 million in funding for construction of Suomen Lantakaasu Oy’s biogas and liquefaction plant. The biogas plant will use dairy farm manure and agricultural by-products to produce renewable, liquefied biogas for use as transport fuel.Suomen Lantakaasu Oy aims to produce a total of 1 TWh of renewable transport fuel, which corresponds to a quarter of Finland’s biogas
The biggest energy-efficiency investment in Valio’s history has been completed at Valio’s Lapinlahti factory in the North Savo region of Finland. The new flue-gas condenser captures heat from the factory’s chimney and simultaneously scrubs it to make it cleaner. The factory’s energy consumption will decrease by more than 10 percent and its greenhouse gas emissions by about 10,000 CO\2 \tons per year, i.e. an amount equivalent to the annual emissions of some 4,900 passenger cars.The Lapinlahti factory has the biggest total energy consumption of all Valio’s factories. The factory needs heat
Valio will phase out the use of natural gas in energy production at Riihimäki dairy plant with the help of energy partner Adven. Energy production in Riihimäki was converted to biofuels already before, and natural gas has been used for heating only in the coldest weather. Now the natural gas boilers are replaced by an electric boiler. Electricity produced with renewable energy helps Valio on its path towards carbon neutrality in the future.
Continuous electricity distribution for food factories is a must in order for the Finnish food supply to run without interruptions. Valio's dairy
Valio is taking yet another step closer to carbon neutrality at its factory in Seinäjoki, Finland. The 12-megawatt boiler used in energy production will be modified from using peat to using domestic biofuels alone. At the same time, Valio's energy efficiency and preparedness for high energy prices is improved. The transition is a result of a new agreement with energy company Adven.Valio's goal is to Valio’s goal is to reset milk’s carbon footprint to zero by 2035. The exceptionally high energy prices also require the development of energy efficiency and ensuring energy supply.
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Methane emissions in milk production fell in 1960–2020 by an overall 57 per cent, and by 35 per cent for each litre of milk. This reduction is achieved through improved production capacity, health and feeding for the animals, as well as reduced herd sizes. Milk production’s methane emissions in Finland account for 50 per cent of milk’s carbon footprint. Roughly 85–95 per cent of dairy’s carbon footprint is generated in primary production. It is still possible to further reduce the volume of methane.In milk production, methane is generated in the cow’s rumen as it digests food, as well as
Valio is updating its sustainability bonus programme for dairy farms on 1.5.2023. Going forward, farms can receive additional pay per milk litre for grazing their cattle and giving them access to outdoor activity, for farming practices supporting biodiversity, and for efforts aiming to reduce the farm’s carbon footprint. The renewal is significant also in the big picture of agriculture because about 80% of the milk produced in Finland is within the sphere of Valio’s sustainability bonus programme. After the update, Valio will pay its dairy farmer owners, through cooperatives, nearly 50
