What will CONO do to become climate-positive?
Sustainability manager Grietsje Hoekstra: "First we calculate the CO2 footprint of our cheese. With the Caring Dairy sustainability programme and throughout the cheese chain, we are working to reduce CO2 as much as possible. What cannot be solved further, we compensate. Then we look at how we can take more CO2 from the air and store it in the soil. We are going to further improve sustainability within the 5 areas of our chain: Farms, milk transport, cheese making and organisation, cheese maturing and cheese transport and packaging."
Caring Dairy Sustainability Program
We have been improving sustainability on our farms for more than 10 years with our Caring Dairy program. We are not only concerned with the climate, but also with animal welfare and continuity for our dairy farmers. Cow in the meadow therefore remains a spearhead. The program includes 18 indicators, many of which have an impact on our climate score. Our dairy farmers receive a premium for the results they achieve.
"As a cooperative of dairy farmers, we want to pass the farm and the land on to the next generation in a better condition."
Milk transport on liquid gas
For milk transport, new RMO (RijdendeMelkOntvang) trucks can run on LNG (liquefied natural gas), which means a 20% reduction in CO2. For the time being, the vehicles are too heavy and long to run on electric motors, but this world is also innovating rapidly. CONO encourages its partners to invest in this and actively helps them to do so.
From climate neutral to climate positive
The cheese factory already makes climate-neutral cheese. The next step is climate positive. General Manager Wim Betten: "We have been talking about using hydrogen instead of gas in the cheese factory for a long time. Because the technology for this is still in its infancy, we cannot just make the switch. Perhaps it will be possible in the future when there are steam boilers that run on hydrogen."
Partners make their working methods more sustainable
In the warehouses of our partners, where our cheese matures, efforts will be made in the coming years to save heat and reduce gas consumption. Together with these partners, we are also actively considering making transport to the resellers more sustainable. How can we organise this as energy-efficiently as possible?
Packaging and waste reduction
Together with our partners, we take a critical look at the use of cheese paper. At the moment it has a plastic sheet as well as paper. It cannot be disposed of as paper waste or as plastic waste. As a result, it ends up in the residual waste, which in turn leads to more emissions. CONO would prefer to get rid of the plastic. But that should not be at the expense of the taste and quality of our cheese. That is always paramount. Again, a difficult task. We are working on improving ourselves every day,'' says Wim Betten.
Everyone's knowledge and skill counts
Not only the knowledge of our own cattle farmers and cheese makers is deployed. CONO is a member of the organization Change Inc. A group of companies striving for a sustainable future. These companies help each other and exchange information. Partners within this group can advise CONO on how to become even more sustainable.
Being good to people, animals and the environment
Managing director Wim Betten: "As a cooperative of dairy farmers, we want to pass on the farm and the land to the next generation in a better condition. We go to work with real solutions. We strive for climate-positive business operations throughout the chain and show that solutions are possible. Solutions that are good for people, animals and the environment."
Read our other sustainable stories within the CONO Cheesemakers cooperative.