Sustainability and food safety

Sustainability is an important topic, especially for companies in the food industry. Final consumers are increasingly demanding foods produced in harmony with high standards of environmental protection, workplace safety and other aspects. The role of sustainability in everyday buying decisions is growing. As a result, product development and production methods aligned with sustainability issues are turning into a key competitive factor for companies. These issues include the reduction of direct environmental impacts like CO2 emissions and waste, but also indirect aspects like energy savings, production efficiency and cost savings.

Manufacturers are therefore seeking to tap the potential for more efficient production at all levels of their production chains. One contribution to the sustainability goals of food-processing companies that is often underestimated is that of high quality specialty lubricants — particularly those that are provided together with individual consulting services. These lubricants can be particularly instrumental in substantially optimizing production factors like waste reduction, energy efficiency, water consumption and workplace safety.

For years, the global food industry has been seeing rising demand for products that are manufactured under considerations of resource conservation and the safety of employees and consumers. This trend poses a risk to companies: the threat of a detrimental impact on their image if they choose to ignore these issues.

Small solution with big sustainable effect – specialty lubricants

Apart from this strategic level, producers of beverages, baked goods, meat products and other foods should also consider the commercial aspects of sustainable business, as they bear enormous potential for costs savings and increased efficiency in production. For instance, thorough examinations of production steps can reveal potential savings in terms of energy, emissions, materials management and control, risk management, waste or water consumption.

Special lubricants – in combination with individual consulting – can aid companies with those very issues as they help them take full advantage of these potential savings. The requirements for the use of lubricants in the food industry, such as the H1 registration by the US National Sanitation Foundation (NSF), have become standard when it comes to food safety.

Food producers can achieve their sustainability goals faster if they are aware of the significance of lubricants and take advantage of it. The following aspects should provide some orientation.

Particularly in the food industry, low energy consumption and reduced emissions are not just a cost factor but an image factor as well. Many companies already have energy-saving projects and programmes in place to improve the energy efficiency of their systems, hereby reducing CO2 emissions continuously until CO2 neutrality can be achieved. Up to now, however, these approaches have mainly been limited to the more obvious options, for example replacing old equipment with new, more energy-efficient machines. The role of lubricants, which can have a large impact, is often overlooked. Intelligent selection of the special lubricant, precisely matched to the application, often offers so far unimagined scope for energy savings. In order to achieve particularly high energy efficiency, therefore, not only the lubricant but the entire system must be considered.

Measures like cleaning or replacing seals also play a major role. For many companies, the certification of their energy management is a high priority. According to the energy management standard ISO 50001 in combination with 50003 and 50015, auditors must monitor and confirm improvements in energy efficiency. For both initial certification and re-certification, companies must therefore prove that they are continuously improving their energy efficiency. With Klüber- Energy, Klüber Lubrication offers a certified service that can help recognize and implement existing potential for improving efficiency.

Safety is also a major facet of a company’s sustainability goals. In this context, two aspects are at the top of producers’ agendas: one is food safety; the other is the safety of production employees. Food safety and good food quality are best achieved by using high-quality, certified special lubricants. H1, halal, kosher and others have become established standards. Particularly international quality food producers should also ensure that their lubricant suppliers have many ISO 21469 production plants, so they can provide certified lubricants around the world.

High-quality, appropriately labeled lubricants and automated dispensing systems can also be instrumental in ensuring the safety of production employees. Combined with streamlining the product range and training, they reduce the risk of lubricant mix-ups that can cause production outages and even machine damage. A wellstructured service program for maintenance optimization like KlüberMaintain helps to avoid such risks.

The typical breakdown of operating costs reveals potential savings of up to 6%. The services offered by Klüber Lubrication make it possible to put that potential into practice. The results of these efficiency-increasing services have an enormous impact on materials, waste and energy as sustainability factors. The distribution of average savings is: 2% savings on labor, 1% on spare parts and 3% on energy.

More and more companies rely on software solutions to illustrate the results of sustainable services and manage all product relevant processes efficiently. A tool like the EfficiencyManager brings transparency to the increasingly complex requirements of a smart factory. Access via mobile devices allows users to access their own data any time, from anywhere, and to record unplanned activities like repairs or malfunctions on site.