German Institute of Food Technologies confirms great potential
On the occasion of World Environment Day, the CleanSmoke Coalition emphasises the advantages of CleanSmoke for the environment compared to conventional smoking methods. Regardless whether it is the direct use of food or its production: producers, as well as consumers, still waste too many resources.
Traditional smoking methods contribute to this in not a small way, as confirmed by the German Institute of Food Technologies (DIL) in an eco-balance analysis: friction and smoulder smoking come off badly compared to the CleanSmoke technology. The innovative smoking method with purified primary smoke condensate not only produces safe products that are free from harmful substances but also provides sustainable environmental relief.
Using CleanSmoke can potentially save 73,000 tons of CO2 equivalents, 500,000 m3 of water and 600 million kWh of energy. Furthermore, the alternative smoking process has significant benefits with regards to the usage of resources (wood, fossil fuels) and cleaning products used in smokehouses.
Lessening the environmental impact of smoked meat by 55 percent
At the moment, the CleanSmoke process is used for the production of only around 10 percent of all smoked foods. While this already reduces greenhouse gas emissions by 8 percent and energy consumption by 7.2 percent, these figures could be significantly higher. “Using the CleanSmoke technology means that the environmental impact compared to conventional smoking can be lessened by around 55 percent“, explains Dr Sergiy Smetana from DIL. When consistently using CleanSmoke, around 30 percent of greenhouse emissions can potentially be saved.
The difference becomes even more obvious when looking at water consumption: the 479,000 m3 that can be saved because of reduced cleaning requirements in smokehouses can supply a medium-sized city like Kiel (Germany) with drinking water for an entire year. “Within the supply chain, an additional 350,000 m3 of water can be saved“, says Smetana. Enough to produce cotton for jeans and t-shirts for 35,000 people. And the 600 million kWh energy that could be saved with CleanSmoke is sufficient for nine million people to heat their microwave meals.
40 tons fewer chemicals per year
Also worth mentioning are the significant advantages of CleanSmoke with regards to the use of wood, fossil fuels, cleaning products and chemicals. The 3,400 tons of wood that are not needed for the CleanSmoke process would be enough to build more than 100 timber houses. In addition, the population would be saved from the exposure to around 40 tons of chemicals. According to the DIL eco-balance, this can significantly improve the health of at least 80,000 people.
Germany is considered one of the countries with the highest per capita consumption of smoked foods. The market share of smoked foods in the overall meat market averages at 60 percent. Considering an annual meat consumption of 60 kilograms per person, these figures illustrate the enormous potential for reducing the use of resources.