In Biosabor we are aware of the environmental impact of agricultural activity, even though our ORGANIC FARMING is one of the most sustainable on the planet, with it we maintain the nutritional properties of our organic fruits and vegetables intact, by not using synthetic chemicals in their cultivation and without damaging our environment.
We have adopted a series of commitments and procedures that facilitate responsible management of resources and guarantee respect for the environment, producing in an ecological and sustainable way means producing responsibly and contributing to the following SDGs of the UN 2030 agenda.
Minimisation of emissions Our organic farming activity involves the installation of solar greenhouses on more than 315 hectares of our partners’ land, which has a positive effect on the reduction of CO2 emissions.
CO2 sink
Inside the greenhouse, there is a much higher density of plants than there would be in the open air, which have such large foliage that they are able to absorb a significant amount of atmospheric CO 2. This CO 2 is then used to carry out the photosynthetic processes of growth and fruit production.
It has been estimated that the 30,000 hectares that make up the agricultural land protected by greenhouses in Almeria are capable of immobilising the amount of CO 2 produced daily by 250,000 cars. The 315 hectares of Biosabor crops would therefore be capable of counteracting the gases emitted daily by 2,625 vehicles, thus improving the quality of the air by purifying it.
Specifically, according to data from the CSIC (Spanish National Research Council), the 128,500 m 2 of surface area dedicated to tomato cultivation on the farms of our partner. Consabor would offer a figure of 111,795 tons of CO 2 fixed in this campaign. In this way, 87.2 of the direct and indirect emissions of Biosabor are compensated.
In 2020, we fulfilled our next commitment in this area, derived from our STRATEGIC AND SUSTAINABILITY PLAN 2020-2030: to quantify our emissions and their origin, in order to strengthen our role in minimising the impact of climate change.
We included in the calculation the consumption of electricity from non-renewable sources, and the fuel consumption of the vehicles used by the company, reaching the conclusion that in this campaign Biosabor has emitted 0.0036 tonnes of CO 2 equivalents per tonne of product handled in the warehouse. The total emissions generated amounted to 128.2 tonnes of CO 2.
From 2020 onwards, the electricity contracted at Biosabor comes from renewable sources, thus avoiding the emission of 166.91 tonnes of CO 2 equivalent into the atmosphere.
Energy consumption
Biosabor’s energy consumption over the last few seasons has been as follows:
The following graph shows the evolution of electricity consumption in Biosabor from renewable sources (in green) over the total consumed in the campaign (in red).
In addition to self-consumption, photovoltaic energy has been contracted since January 2020, achieving a figure of more than 70 % of renewable energy consumption in this campaign.
On the other hand, in previous years we had set ourselves the challenge of making all the energy contracted at the Biosabor packaging plant 100% renewable in the short term. We have met this challenge and, as of 1 January 2020, the energy used in the packaging centre is photovoltaic, thus further reducing our environmental impact.
Water Footprint
If there is one thing we specialise in in Almeria, it is optimising the use of water. Almeria is considered one of the most arid regions in Spain, where water scarcity is a limiting factor for agricultural activity. For this reason, in Biosabor’s packing house and on our partners’ farms we use various techniques to optimise the use of water and make the best possible use of rainwater.
In the 2019-2020 campaign, for every kilo of product handled in the Biosabor warehouse, we consumed 0.000365 ML of water, giving a total of 12,938 Megalitres consumed.
As an example of water management on the farms belonging to our partner Consabor, 0.000057 ML were consumed per kilo of production, a total of 162.64 Megalitres in the period, which meant a reduction of 3% of water per tonne produced compared to the previous period.
In terms of total water consumption, in this campaign it was reduced by 1.2% in the case of Biosabor, and by 15.9% in the case of Consabor.
Most of the water for the Consabor farm came from the irrigation communities, together with rainwater harvesting, the percentage of which has increased this season.
Verde – Comunidad de regantes / Rojo – Recogida de agua de lluvia
Circular economy
At Biosabor we have a Waste Management System, included in our Quality Management System, both in the packaging plant and in the production facilities. In addition, we manage food waste in such a way that we do not collaborate in its waste and we can contribute to some extent to eradicating hunger in society.
Although it is considered waste, this product is subsequently reused in different ways to transform it into V Range products, donations to soup kitchens, raw material for industry, as well as food for animal consumption. This cycle of reuse of products that are not sold contributes to the creation of a circular economy environment where Biosabor is positioned as a zero food waste company.
Significant quantities of plant waste are generated in the field, mainly as a result of thinning and leaf removal. Once cultivation is finished, the plant remains and some of the auxiliary elements used in cultivation, such as biodegradable raffia, are removed immediately and transported in containers to a composting centre to be used as fertiliser at a later date. This helps to maintain the sustainability of the soil. Our aim is to reuse plant residues and biodegradable auxiliary elements as fertiliser on the farm.
The rest of the waste from the farms, such as plastics and other auxiliary materials, is collected in its entirety from the farms and taken to authorised recycling centres at the end of its useful life. In this sense, the plastic waste taken by the waste manager is transformed into propylene, and cardboard into cellulose, thus contributing to the circular economy and keeping waste in the production cycle. In particular, we recycle 100% of the plastics that provide shelter for our crops, the material and quality of which makes it possible to reuse them, not only to build new greenhouses, but also to transform them into other plastic products.
Therefore, all waste from organic farms is managed responsibly without causing any harm to the environment.
The following is a detail of the risk level of Biosabor’s waste, the department responsible for its management and the company authorised to remove it, as well as the treatment of this waste:
Biodegradable materials:
On the other hand, our products require packaging, most of which is made of plastic. We have therefore set ourselves the goal of reducing the use of non-biodegradable materials, such as plastic, in favour of biodegradable ones.
This is how in the 2019-2020 campaign we managed to reduce the purchase of tubs and baskets with plastic materials by 56%, replacing them with cardboard and biocompostable plastics.
In this campaign, of the 84,120 kg of plastic packaging used, 42,796 kg were compostable, achieving a ratio of more than 50% compostable material.
Returnable Packaging
On the other hand, in 2019-2020 we have further reduced the purchase of plastic packaging, opting for the use of returnable packaging leased from the IFCO and EUROPOOL companies, in addition to returnable pallets from the CHEP company, for a total weight of 2,122,391 kg. In this regard, the percentage of packaging material recovered (packaging material reused over the amount of product sold in IFCO and EUROPOOL containers) is 25.93%.
The use of this type of packaging has a wide range of environmental benefits. Among others, this campaign has avoided the emission of 478,425 kg of CO 2 into the atmosphere and has also reduced waste by 229,739 kg.
These data are shown in the certificates awarded to Biosabor by the companies IFCO and CHEP, where the positive environmental impacts derived from the use of the packaging of these companies are exposed:
Zero Food Waste Company:
In 2017 Biosabor was selected by AECOC (the Spanish Association of Manufacturers and Distributors) as a “Zero Food Waste Company” good practice.
This mission on the part of the company is committed to not squandering resources and to being efficient in their use. Given the company’s activity, food waste is not trivial and there is a commitment across all areas to ensure that it does not occur, positioning Biosabor as a company with zero food waste in its production processes.
The aim is to optimise the planning and execution of the value chain so that there is no waste at any stage or link in the chain. In this way, 100% of the food waste is reused, contributing to the circular economy. As an ecological company, we have the most advanced technology on the market in our facilities, thus avoiding the need to treat our crops with chemicals, and we carry out preventive work by making the greenhouses as aseptic as possible. We take the utmost care with the time of harvesting and monitoring of each of the plants so that there are no losses due to pests and diseases, and thus facilitate the maximum harvesting of the plantations.
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