resource efficiency in the uk cider sector
TRANSCRIPT
Case Study: UK Drinks Sector
Resource efficiency in the UK
cider sector
Reducing water, material and packaging use in the cider sector.
Resource efficiency in the UK cider sector 2
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Document reference: [e.g. WRAP, 2006, Report Name (WRAP Project TYR009-19. Report prepared by…..Banbury, WRAP]
Front cover photography: Stainless steel cider vats. Courtesy of NACM
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Resource efficiency in the UK cider sector 3
Contents
Contents .................................................................................... 3
Summary Review ....................................................................... 4
Packaging ........................................................................................ 4
Water use ........................................................................................ 5
Clean in Place (CIP) .......................................................................... 7
Waste water ..................................................................................... 7
Product loss avoidance ...................................................................... 9
Organic resource .............................................................................. 9
Conclusions .................................................................................... 10
Resource efficiency in the UK cider sector 4
Summary Review
The UK cider industry produces 9.4 million hectolitres annually.
A resource map that shows key inputs, the production stages
involved and waste and loss streams is below.
The cider industry1 has a large number of small-scale
manufacturers though large manufacturers are responsible for
a higher market share of product (over 70%2). Both large and
small-scale manufacturers can realise opportunities for
improvement through, for example, economies of scale and
developing closed loop solutions where production and
processing are co-located.
Key opportunities
281 tonnes of stretch-wrap conserved equates to a sector saving of
£400,000
A sector-led approach to light-weighting bottles
Reducing water use and recovering value from wastewater streams
Key opportunities to improve resource efficiency are outlined below.
Packaging
Cider is packaged in many formats including kegs, PET, cans and glass,
with 6.8 million hectolitres packaged for individual unit sale. Glass is
increasingly being used, for example premium brands tend to be
associated with heavy glass bottles, and this offers significant
opportunity for light-weighting. Some brands have made substantial
progress (such as Heineken UK reducing the Bulmers Original bottle
mass by 30%3, and Thatchers reducing bottle weight by 21% for a
range of ciders4), but this has the potential to be rolled out more widely
across the industry. Small-scale manufacturers purchase small volume
1 BBPA (2010) Statistical Handbook 2 Mintel (2008) Cider, Market Intelligence 2008 3 Heineken (2009) Environment at a glance 4 WRAP (2008) Light-weighting beer and cider packaging
Resource efficiency in the UK cider sector 5
bottles and therefore have less control over design; however, a sector-
led approach may offer greater opportunities.
There is typically less focus on secondary packaging than on primary,
though savings are often more easily achieved here. Stretch-wrap is
used across all sectors to stabilise pallet loads, yet little attention is
given to efficient usage, resulting in excessive plastic consumption.
Within the cider sector, an estimated 281 tonnes5 of material could be
saved by more efficient practice, achievable by ensuring the correct
equipment is used, staff are trained and machinery is set up correctly.
Based on the November 20116 price of virgin plastic film, 281 tonnes of
wrap conserved equates to a sector saving of £400,000.
Water use
Data collected for this review shows that typical water use per litre of
product is currently 3.36 litres. The companies providing these
(confidential) data are operating with good practice, and average actual
usage may be slightly higher, though it will also vary depending on the
scale of the business.
Metering of water use throughout production lines was apparent only in
a small number of sites, and this is considered a critical first step to
allow for better understanding of key opportunities. Cost of metering is
highlighted as a barrier by many stakeholders, though payback is often
realised through leak detection and hidden savings that can be made
once inefficiencies are shown. Best practice in water use per litre of
product was 2.38 litres7, which was achieved after the site installed
numerous water meters throughout all processing stages.
5 WRAP (2011) Reducing packaging waste in the UK drinks sector 6 Price taken from WRAP market values, November 2011 http://www.wrap.org.uk/recycling_industry/market_information/materials_pricing_reports/index.html
7 Confidential industry waste reviews, 2011
Resource efficiency in the UK cider sector 6
Figure 1: Stainless steel cider vats. Courtesy of NACM
Recycling of water onsite, through different processes, offers both
environmental benefits and cost savings. These include a reduction in
water use and lower effluent discharge costs.
Water used in boilers and pasteurisers is relatively uncontaminated, and
can be recycled for use in lower quality uses around the site. Steam
condensate can also be collected and reused, offering energy savings
due to heat capture. Through introduction of these techniques, Shepton
Cider Mill, producing Gaymers and Magners cider, reduced water
consumption by 22%8.
Cleaning water is a high volume use with organic materials, in particular,
being difficult to remove and often consuming higher than necessary
volumes of water due to inefficient cleaning methods. Clean in place
(CIP) improvements should be an area of focus for the sector, and these
are considered below.
8C&C Group Plc (2011) Corporate Social Responsibility Report
Resource efficiency in the UK cider sector 7
Clean in Place (CIP)
CIP is a critical use of water, with organic materials present in fruit juice
in particular requiring more intense cleaning, requiring about 1-2l/l of
product9. Areas to review include:
optimising plant process design;
removing product and gross soiling prior to cleaning;
incorporating the internal recycling of water and chemicals;
staff training;
carefully setting operating programmes which coincide with the real
cleaning requirements of the process;
minimising detergent loss to drain; and
using water efficient spray devices.
CIP systems can be complex, especially if multiple systems are in place.
It is sensible to have a CIP engineer visit the site, to ensure current
systems are working at their optimum, before investing in retrofitting
newer systems.
Waste water
The cider industry lends itself conveniently to wetland ecosystem
treatment (WET) systems, as they are often next to orchards/farmland
and have the space required for such a system. Sheppy’s Cider in
Somerset has a 4 acre WET system that is accommodated within the
370 acre farmland in which Sheppy’s is located.
These systems include a series of specially designed earth banks, reed
beds and ponds, allowing wastewater to flow through. Microbial and
plant action removes contaminants, whilst allowing many species of
plant, animal and other living organisms to thrive. Benefits of WET
systems can be seen outside of the initial objective of natural treatment
of wastewater and pollution control. Larger cider manufacturers are
unlikely to have available land for use in these systems, and should
9 Industry input, 2011
Resource efficiency in the UK cider sector 8
consider alternate means of treatment, such as effluent separation for
AD.
Figure 2: Sheppy’s Cider Mill WET System. Construction being carried out Courtesy of NACM
Cider wastewater content is seasonal linked to natural production cycles.
At peak times, the discharge has high chemical oxygen demand (COD)
and suspended solid streams. To avoid high discharge costs companies
store large volumes on site which are then diluted to reduce the organic
content and discharged later in the season.
This approach does not recover the value within the water for example
as a feedstock for energy recovery through AD. If effluent separation
was carried out high COD/suspended solid streams could be stored until
sufficient volume is obtained for off-site recovery.
Figure 3: Sheppy’s Cider Mill WET System Thriving wetland less than three years later, the system saves Sheppy’s
an estimated £240,000 per year and has been adopted by wildfife and birds in abundance
Resource efficiency in the UK cider sector 9
Product loss avoidance
Cider orchards vary in their productivity. Production processes are also
not uniform. Typical yield from cider apples is around 80% indicating
improvement potential for example through benchmarking production
and improved process efficiency.
Fill inefficiencies were apparent across all packaging formats. Both
under-and over-fills can be caused by numerous factors, though they
are mostly linked to inherent process variability.
It is good practice to run trials of variability (ensuring first that the
check-weigher is accurate and not responsible for incorrect measuring).
If variance is acceptable, the likely reason for inaccuracies may be
human error indicating that staff training may be beneficial. If variance
is high, a more technical reason may be apparent, and a more detailed,
technical review required; the original equipment manufacturer should
be contacted.
Organic resource
Typical yield from cider apples is around 80%. About 36,000 tonnes10 of
pulpy remains, or pomace, is left after production and has a value as
animal feed or as feedstock for anaerobic digestion (AD) plants and
should be recovered where possible. WRAP research suggests that no
pomace, which is a by-product, is sent to landfill, with the vast majority,
31,000 tonnes, sent for animal feed11.
Some smaller companies return pomace to land but this appears to have
limited benefit. A growing area of interest appears to be in
pharmaceutical and cosmetic markets12, with Heineken UK (producers of
Bulmers and Strongbow ciders) extracting antioxidant and
phytochemicals present in pomace for use in these arenas.
10 Including pomace from apple juice production 11 Confidential industry waste reviews, and stakeholder interviews, 2011 12 Industry interviews, 2011
Resource efficiency in the UK cider sector 10
Conclusions
There are several focal points for maximising resource efficiency within
the cider sector in the UK and these are listed below.
Improve monitoring. Metering along the production line allows
for understanding of hotspots, and detection of leaks. Hotspots of
inefficiency can be targeted and managed.
Improved CIP. Frequent reviewing and improving on CIP is
essential, as developments and improvements are available. Ensure
staff are trained on the details of the system, and ‘cleaning’ is
understood, so systems are not running at higher levels than
necessary.
Effective wastewater management. Consider effluent separation
to recover value in the organic content of effluent; for example,
utilising for AD. Where land availability allows, consideration should
be given to WET systems over disposal to sewer.
Maximise value from organic by-product. Review value gained
from pomace/organic remnants of harvest. If no local farmers are
able to utilise as animal feed, check local AD facilities. Consideration
should also be given to alternatives such as pharmaceuticals and
cosmetic markets, as used by Heineken UK.
Resource efficiency in the UK cider sector 11
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