ABP Food Group opens £22M green energy plant

Created by ABP’s renewable division, Olleco, the plant will convert more than 100,000t of waste into heat, power and bio-methane for export to the national grid. It will also produce bio-fertiliser for both ABP’s and Arla’s farmer suppliers.

The anaerobic digestion (AD) facility in Aylesbury is located adjacent to the Arla dairy, providing energy to the site as part of a new partnership and allowing the plant to become a zero carbon milk processing facility.

‘Sustainability is a key priority’​

Robert Behan, md of Olleco, said: “Sustainability is a key priority right across the ABP Food Group. The company has invested and implemented innovative sustainability measures that are world class, trail blazing and meet the exceptionally high targets – to reduce the environmental footprint of our business – we have set ourselves,”​

Olleco collects waste food and cooking oil from the retail and foodservice sector and converts the waste into bio-diesel, bio-gas and bio-fertiliser. The company employs more than 600 people across the UK.

The AD plant is the latest in a series of sustainable practices and environmental initiatives from ABP.  

In 2015, the company opened a certified carbon neutral abattoir – claimed to be the world’s first – in Ellesmere, Shropshire, where waste material from the food processing operation is used in conjunction with used cooking oil to provide the energy requirements on site.

Triple accreditation from the Carbon Trust​

Earlier this year, ABP achieved triple accreditation from the Carbon Trust for the third consecutive year, one of the few companies to have achieved this accreditation.

Meanwhile, ABP has been shortlisted for three awards in this year’s Food Manufacture Excellence awards, Meat & Poultry Manufacturing Company of the Year, Environmental Initiative of the Year and Young Talent of the Year.

To find out more about the awards, and to book your place at this year’s food industry Oscars, see the box below.