Environmental compatiblity is a key principle
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| It goes without saying that productivity is crucial to the success of a company.
But we are not only concerned with productivity in the classic business areas,
where success speaks for itself – our company is in fact also very productive
when it comes to optimisation with regard to environmental compatibility. For
everyone at Tetra, responsibility for the sustainable use of resources is at the
core of our daily actions. How does this feeling of responsibility translate into practice? For around a decade, Tetra foods have undergone heat treatment to eliminate any potential bugs, ensuring our standards of quality. With this very early introduction of an alternative to using chemical methods, Tetra was able to reduce damage done to the ozone layer and make an active contribution to protecting the climate. In addition, by installing a complex biowasher and by regularly cleaning the exhaust-air plants in the food production plant, we have been able to considerably reduce odour emission to the environment. The fundamental idea of conserving resources also determines the way in which production machinery is managed. The decisive element here is that preventive maintenance is carried out. Every machine is regularly maintained for preventive purposes in order to avoid excessive energy consumption, as well as to prevent leakages or any other defects that could harm the environment. Although this approach is work-intensive, all in all it is highly efficient and also perceptibly extends the life expectancy of the machines, leading in turn to environmental relief. In this context, two basic principles determine our actions: “We do whatever is technically possible” and “It makes sense to tend to matters in good time”. Following the relocation and the complete new construction of the modern production building at the Melle site in 2006, state-of-the-art technology now makes the most efficient use of valuable resources. Instead of using crude oil, we heat using environmentally-friendly natural gas that is low in CO2. A condensing boiler, underfloor heating, lowering of the building’s temperature at night, waste heat recovery from discharged air and the automatic shutdown of the building’s heating as soon as machines are switched off lead to noticeable energy savings, protecting the environment on a long-term basis. Large glass domes enable daylight to flood into the building, reducing the amount of electricity required for lighting. We at Tetra also deal responsibly with the valuable raw material of water. Once it has been clarified in our inhouse purification plants for industrial water, our waste water is pH-neutral and has been prepurified before it enters the municipal sewage system. Care is taken that only small amounts of chemical cleaning agents are used. The rinsing agents that are required at Tetra for hygienic production, are collected, used for the next preliminary purification and finally processed by waste management facilities. Chemicals are not always necessary, however; steam cleaning is carried out whenever possible. The air released from the production building is also clean, thanks to the use of complex fine dust filter plants. Such filtration goes far beyond the statutory provisions. Sustainable environmental protection also involves the avoidance or recycling of waste whenever possible.Our waste paper is 100 per cent recycled. Nonmixed food dust from the filling area is also partially recycled; the remainder is used to produce energy in a biogas plant. Other waste products, such as metals, plastic film, cable remains and wood are collected for recycling. For years now, any remaining industrial waste has been thermically utilised in an ultramodern, efficient waste incineration plant, rather than disposing of it on a landfill site. We started disposing of our waste in this manner years ago, long before it was required by law. |
Modern data prosessing technology
Although the completely paperless office remains a vision at Tetra, we are
working intensively towards it being reality one day. Our aim is to continually
reduce our consumption of paper. Reaching this ambitious goal has been
simplified by a highly developed intranet with central data processing. Holiday
rotas, forms, price lists, etc. are stored on a computer system. This makes
light work of searching for documents, and saves paper and memory capacity.
E-mails can be read on screen and only need to be printed out in exceptional
cases. Video conferences, web meetings and Blackberries enable employees
worldwide to access important data, improve communication and reduce time
spent travelling. Our habitat consists of an intact environment and nature. We do a lot to preserve this for ourselves and generations to come When cleaning the production plants, the rinsing agents are collected and used for the next preliminary purification. The agents are then disposed of by a specialist company Non-mixed food dust arising from the production process is partially recycled; the remainder is used to produce energy in a biogas plant |
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Our aim is to continually reduce our consumption of paper. One
important step in this direction is our highly developed intranet with
central data processing
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Efficient and safe |
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By combining the production and filling processes at the Melle site, we
succeeded in simplifying operational procedures, shortening communication
channels and considerably reducing complexity in the area of production. Over 60 million products leave our production facility each year. And we are
constantly faced with new challenges, such as in 2006, when the new biofarm
was constructed for growing the filter bacteria used in Tetra SafeStart. To us, being able to work efficiently translates not only into economic success but also into environmentally conscious action. For instance, by dismantling one of our three flaking plants in 2001 and simultaneously optimising the remaining plants, we managed to increase the quantity produced and to improve working conditions and energy utilisation. Although we manufacture products to enhance the well-being of animals, it goes without saying that our sustainable production is primarily for the benefit of people. The best theory cannot work if employees do not share our quest for environmental compatibility and sustainability. This is why we attach great importance to the highest possible safety standards at the work place, regular occupational health and safety training, preventive medical checkups, continual advanced training and the use of highly ergonomic work equipment. The positive effects of these measures mean that, for years, there have been only a small number of occupational accidents, well below comparative figures published by the Accident Prevention and Insurance Associations. |
Training in occupational health and safety & environmental protection at Tetra We attach great importance to professional training. In 2007, for example, every employee participated in an average of two training courses on the subject of occupational health and safety | |||
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The Tetra workforce at the Melle site | ||||
