The food and beverage manufacturer installed the biomass boilers at its bakeries in Shakaskraal and Access Park. The biomass boilers are fuelled by wood chips which produce zero carbon emissions, instead of using coal or gas burners which produce carbon dioxide as a by-product. This equates to a carbon saving of nearly 18,000 tons over the 15-year contract period.
The project was awarded by the Premier of Western Cape, Helen Zille, for achieving flagship status in the City of Cape Town's 110% Green campaign. On the international front, Agence Francais de Development, the ministry of the French government which participates in promoting and financing development throughout the world, chose the Pioneer Foods project for its world exhibition due to its environmental credentials. Currently the project is being exhibited on Constitution Hill in Johannesburg before it moves to other cities around the world and ending in Paris at the end of 2015.
"As a manufacturer of food and beverage products, we source most of our raw material from the environment and our guiding objective is to preserve our resources and minimise the environmental impact," comments CEO of Pioneer Foods, Phil Roux. "This project, along with other initiatives that we have implemented, goes beyond what current environmental regulations stipulate. We see this as an investment in the ecological security of our country for future generations and we will continue to explore opportunities to reduce our carbon footprint."
