E C O N O M I C
&
O R G A N I C
1
NO.
MARCH
ECOLOGIC
2012
P E T E R G E L H A R D C U S T O M E R I N F O R M AT I O N A B O U T P R O D U C T I O N A N D E N V I R O N M E N TA L P R O T E C T I O N
…we give the sausage its natural skin!
Natural casing finishers
from the Westerwald in
Germany created this
carbon footprint
for Australian
product lines.
Tim Schnug / Bachelor of Engineering
down the penetration of ultraviolet radiation by fifty
percent. The reflection of shortwave solar radiation
by clouds, small airborne particles (aerosols) and the
surface of the Earth prevent further penetration. The
increasing concentration of CO 2 now blocks the exit
of these rays and leads to long-term heating of the
Earth. The anthropogenic greenhouse effect (“influenced
by man”) is created. Temperature increase, environmental
disasters, or the melting of polar glaciers are logical
consequences.
For nearly 50 years, the Peter Gelhard Natural
Casings company has stood for innovation and high
product quality. In collaboration with a student of
industrial engineering as part of a bachelor thesis, we
have calculated and depicted the carbon footprint
for the Australian value-added chains of casings.
According to a report by the Cambridge Institute of
Technology, the world population in 2010 emitted
1,900 million tons more (33,500 million tons) than
in the year 2007 (31,600 million tons). The major
pollutants are China and India (this is due to their
high population rates).
The Earth’s atmosphere, consisting of a mixture of
various trace gasses (water vapour, carbon dioxide,
methane, nitrous oxide, ozone, and F gases), slows
Now, smaller medium-sized companies also need to
act on these ever-worsening effects of CO2 emissions.
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E C O N O M I C
&
O R G A N I C
ECOLOGIC
P E T E R G E L H A R D C U S T O M E R I N F O R M AT I O N A B O U T P R O D U C T I O N A N D E N V I R O N M E N TA L P R O T E C T I O N
“A carbon footprint captures and aggregates the
emissions of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions
across the entire value chain of a product, under
consideration of defined system boundaries (criteria
for determining which process modules are a part
of a product system) which are based on a defined
unit.”
The grams per unit of CO2 emissions per Hank (91.4 m)
of sheep casing serve as the basis for calculation.
The emission carriers in the value chain are listed as
follows:
Combustion of petroleum gas (hot water generation)
Supply of drinking water (purification)
Disposal of sewage
Supply of electricity (cold storage house;
industrial freezer; lighting, etc.)
Production of packaging materials
Combustion of fossil fuels (lorry diesel,
marine diesel)
Extraction of sodium chloride (preservative)
The visual representation of a CO 2 footprint now
provides the Peter Gelhard Natural Casings company
with the opportunity to ensure optimised standards
for purchasing, production, and distribution and to
inform customers about carbon dioxide emissions.
This feedback also serves as a wake-up call for
interested business partners. In addition, it prepares
us for Australia’s impending CO 2 tax, the planned
CO 2 label in Western Europe, and the passing of the
ISO Standard (ISO 14067) under the name “Carbon
Footprints of Products” and creates fewer emissions in
supply chain management.
Through research and visits to respective supply and
production facilities, the level of transparency throughout
the value chain has been created. All values which
have not been calculated by us have been found in
the databases from the Eco-Institute in Freiburg and
the Federal Environmental Agency. With the help of
so-called recycling credits, the respective balance
was able to be individually appreciated.
The information needed for this was provided by the
database from the Packaging Market Research Society.
The final results now show the following values:
The period under observation applies to the Hanks
prepared for distribution, both tubes and strips in
European standard “E2” boxes, as well as in a can
and in a 20 litre PE bucket.
Total emissions of natural casing products
2950
g CO2 / Hank
2900
Hank in tubes
2911.61
in strips
HankHank
auf Streifen
2850
Hank in 20 litre buckets
HankHank
im 20inLiter
PE-Eimercans
polyethylene
2800
2750
2792.72
2772.31
2740.76
2700
2650
2
Hank in PE-Dose
E C O N O M I C
&
O R G A N I C
ECOLOGIC
P E T E R G E L H A R D C U S T O M E R I N F O R M AT I O N A B O U T P R O D U C T I O N A N D E N V I R O N M E N TA L P R O T E C T I O N
Now, to understand and be able to compare the
significance of these values, the depiction below
represents the share of CO 2 emissions stemming from
the natural casing of Wiener sausage. It is assumed
that a Wiener sausage is 50-70 grams and has
25 cm of natural casing (from beginning to end).
The emissions of the examined value chains then
have to be scaled down to a single sausage.
About 365 Wiener sausages can be made from one
Hank of Australian sheep casing when production
has been optimised. The portion of the intestine
which is used for the sausage is comparable to the
weight of a Haribo Gold jelly baby, 1.2 grams. The
production of natural casings for one Wiener sausage
by the Peter Gelhard Natural Casings company,
through its four product lines, results in the following
emission units:
CO2 amount per Hank of a Wiener sausage (25 cm)
g CO2 / Hank
8
7,8
Hank in tubes
7.97
Hank in strips
Hank in 20 litre buckets
bv
7,6
7.65
Hank in polyethylene cans
7.56
7.5
7,4
7,2
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Unfortunately, there is no existing carbon footprint for
the meat emulsion at this time. One assumes the basis
of calculation assures this is an average sausage.
Based on this assumption, a Wiener sausage would
have the following emissions:
Total emissions from a Wiener sausage (60 g)
g CO2 / Wiener sausage
226,4
226,2
226
225,8
Wiener sausage
(natural casing = Hank in tubes)
226.39
Wiener sausage
(natural casing = Hank in strips)
226.07
Wiener sausage
(natural casing = Hank in buckets)
Wiener sausage
(natural casing = Hank in
polyethylene cans)
225.98
225.92
225,6
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E C O N O M I C
&
O R G A N I C
ECOLOGIC
P E T E R G E L H A R D C U S T O M E R I N F O R M AT I O N A B O U T P R O D U C T I O N A N D E N V I R O N M E N TA L P R O T E C T I O N
When one refers to the mean value of these results
(226.08 g CO 2 / sausage) and compares it, in
relation, to the average emissions of natural casings
(Ø 7.67 g of CO 2 / sausage), it becomes clear that
Type
the natural sausage casings produced by Peter Gelhard
are only responsible for 3.39% of total CO 2 emissions.
The table below shows further carbon footprints found
in the food industry:
CO2 emissions per kilogram of goods
Refrigerated (under +10°)
Frozen (ideal -18°)
Chicken
3508 g
4538 g
Beef
13311 g
14341 g
Pork
3525 g
4282 g
The carbon footprint for natural casings
strengthens the reputation of sausages
packaged in a “natural” method.
…we give the sausage its natural skin!
Peter Gelhard Naturdaerme
Phone: +49 (0)2623-20880
Industriegebiet Rohr
Fax:
+49 (0)2623-2003
Saelzer Strasse 17-21
E-Mail:[email protected]
56235 Ransbach-Baumbach
Internet:www.peter-gelhard.de
Germany
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