Oiling the wheels of sustainable change

Vegetable oil and fat refiner Alba Edible Oils is no stranger to sustainability: in 2009, the company installed an automated refinery at its Hamilton Hill plant in WA to minimise energy use and decrease waste output. For its efforts, the company was awarded a 2010 Western Australian Food Industry Environment and Sustainability Award.

In 2012, an Alba senior executive attended a Sustainability Essentials for Executives program - a pilot program funded by the government and run in conjunction with Agrifood Skills Australia. Through the program, Alba was introduced to the Clean Technology Food and Foundries Investment Program and a consultancy firm specialising in carbon and energy management.

As a result, Alba developed ACT NOW, a program to automate and reduce energy wastage when changing from processing one oil to another. This allowed Alba to modify its refinery so previously wasted energy is consumed as part of the refining process.

Other small energy efficiency improvements were implemented, such as insulating exposed pipes and enhancing or replacing selected pumps, motors and boilers, as well as an air compressor and chiller.

Working with Alba, the consultancy firm conducted an on-site energy audit and feasibility analysis, including comprehensive data logging, compiling a short list of 14 potential energy-saving measures the company could implement.

The cost benefits of each energy-saving measure were assessed to determine which ones would make the company’s Clean Technology Food and Foundries Investment Program grant application as competitive as possible.

As a result, Alba was awarded a grant of nearly $500,000.

“The grant not only helps us improve production efficiency so we can minimise waste, it means we remain competitive and can level the playing field against offshore producers,” said Alba Edible Oils CEO, Ashley Palmer.

Alba expects to reduce energy wastage when changing from one oil to another by more than 80%. The plant’s operational capacity will expand by up to 50%, while carbon emissions intensity will decrease by 52.8%. Energy intensity will be reduced by 54.3%, saving the company $190,000 per year in energy costs.

As a result, Alba is setting its sights on international export markets. Its improved production efficiency will strengthen its competitiveness within Australia against imported products, and Alba says the benefits of international expansion will flow on to local farmers who produce the raw materials the company processes. Other manufacturers, such as local carton manufacturers and transport firms, will also benefit from the changes.

“It is a point of pride for us to be committed to environmentally sustainable manufacturing. We’re also proud of the fact we are supporting other domestic industries by purchasing seed from local farms, helping them to grow and invest in their local communities,” Palmer said.

“One of our customers wanted to reduce energy waste caused by an inefficient chilling system.

“We told them about the grant and they applied successfully. The grant has the incredible benefit of keeping small manufacturers in Australia competitive and viable, so we’re all winners.”