Our car is greener: In recent years, corporate responsibility has become a principle adopted by more and more companies and corporations around the world, with the understanding that they are part of the community and that they must be involved in the environment, while looking at all stakeholders.
Within the framework of these principles, these companies invest a great deal of effort in activities for the benefit of their employees and for the benefit of all. The perception is that the more the organization operates within a better community and environment, the better the world can leave behind.
Tnuva, one of Israel's largest companies, manages a responsible investment strategy (ESG) that works to improve the environment, purify sewage and create a circular economy. One of the most prominent areas in protecting the environment in food companies is, of course, the recycling of food packaging.
Tnuva Enterprises, Photo: Yossi Zeliger
Tnuva chose to operate on three main levels: packaging products in recyclable packaging, reducing plastic in packaging and using recycled material from the very beginning of the packaging production process.
Goal: Zero emissions by 2050
Dov Basel, Director of Environmental Protection at Tnuva, notes that the company invests heavily in a very wide range of activities designed to protect the environment and the public, using the latest technologies available: "In recent years, we have succeeded in reducing our environmental footprint by 15% by implementing more efficient energy that reduces emissions.
"Over the past four years, we have made significant achievements in reducing emissions of polluting particles by switching to natural gas. We succeeded in minimizing particulate emissions by 78%, and in the field of truck emissions, we reduced the amount of particulate emissions emitted into the air by 74%, by implementing trucks with advanced technology. This is a significant activity, and we have reaped great success in it."
Dov Basel,
Basel adds that the company also operates in the field of wastewater, so that its impact on the environment will be reduced, by using innovative technological means. "The company has dozens of production sites, so we had to solve the wastewater problem of each plant differently, according to the type of wastewater it produces.
"We examined the most advanced technologies, including unique desalination methods, in order to provide a real solution for each of our plants," he explains. "We have also made progress in the use of gas, connecting all our large dairies to the gas pipelines – another which significantly reduces the damage to the environment.
"We set ourselves a goal of zero emissions by 2050," he says of the challenge. "It's not easy, because there are dozens of factories, but we will meet this goal. Beyond that, we also operate in the field of renewable energy, and we use both our knowledge and the knowledge we bring from outside. I am also proud to say that a decade ago we installed solar panels at ten of our production points, and today we are examining the possibilities of expanding renewable energy sources for Tnuva sites."
Green is the New Black
Remember those milk cartons and green milk bags? Today they are black, but oddly enough, they are greener. Michal Bar-Lev, Director of Tnuva's Regulation Unit and Coordinator of Sustainability Projects, explains: "A sore point in protecting the environment in the food sector is the extensive use of plastic.
"In this area, Tnuva is working to change the green plastic crates in which it transports its dairy products, so that today 50% of the plastic used for their production is recycled plastic. That's 208 tons of recycled black plastic a year, compared to the previous use of new, virgin green plastic.
The new lid,
"Already in 2022, we started using recycled plastic in the large packaging in which our products are distributed, so the familiar green crates have been replaced by black crates," says Bar-Lev. "We have set up dedicated work teams to discuss ways to enhance our sustainability activities.
"Reducing the use of new plastics in our packaging is an essential part of what we do as an organization," she notes, adding: "The company's packaging is made from recycled materials, and labeled so that customers know which bin to throw each packaging they use into."
Michal Bar Lev, Photo: Rami Zaranger
Another point Bar-Lev is proud of is the change in plastic caps on milk packaging: "We have reduced the weight of plastic caps, which has saved 55 tons of plastic per year."
Who moved my lid?
The unique process of steadily reducing the use of plastic has only recently led Tnuva to one of the largest and most significant sustainability moves in the food sector - the removal of the hard plastic lids on the packaging of the beloved yellow cheeses "Emek" and "Tal HaEmek".
The tariffs are currently being replaced by environmentally friendly laminate lids, which allow easy and convenient reopening and closing, while optimally preserving the freshness of the yellow cheese packaged in them. "The important environmental measures we take do not harm the high quality of our products, which undergo many controls," emphasizes Bar-Lev for anyone who finds it a little difficult when moving their cheese.
Nir Balmes is the manager of the Tel Yosef Dairy, where the "Emek" and "Tal HaEmek" cheese packages are produced, among other things. Balmes says that Tel Yosef is Tnuva's oldest dairy, and that it is a significant employment center in northern Israel. It was founded in 1936 and underwent a major expansion in 2015, placing it at the forefront of global technology in manufacturing, automation and robotics processes. The dairy emphasizes sustainability by switching to production that reduces plastic use as much as possible.
Nir Balmes,
"We produce many types of cheese – including special cheeses made from goat's and sheep's milk – and always emphasize high quality," Balmes says. "Environmental alternatives are an integral part of our company's strategy, and for several months we prepared at the dairy for the process of removing the lid and replacing it with a laminate. This is an important step for us as a dairy, enabling production that does not harm the environment and is friendly to the consumer. The result of this move is savings of about 186 tons of plastic per year."
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