The CleanSmoke smoking process sustainably reduces the burden on forests
Forests are essential in the fight against climate change not only because they are a huge carbon storage. But worldwide, forests are in danger. According to a study by the WWF the EU is responsible for 16 percent of global forest destruction. That is about to change. In the wake of the Glasgow Climate Conference, the EU Commission is presenting its plan to combat deforestation. The proposed changes are also intended to ensure that products purchased and consumed on the EU market do not contribute to forest degradation.
Forests cover a significant proportion of Europe’s land area, some 182 million hectares or 44 percent. “Europe’s forests are increasingly under pressure,” said Environment Commissioner Virginijus Sinkevicius. This arises “[…] partly as a result of natural processes, but also as a consequence of human trade.” Products that contribute to deforestation also play a role.
In this context, Uwe Vogel, Chairman of the CleanSmoke Coalition, also registers that smokehouses are increasingly viewed critically. “With CleanSmoke, smokehouses, but also retailers and consumers, can quite simply show more responsibility for the forests. They can significantly reduce wood consumption for smoking.”
Only residual wood is used for CleanSmoke
With the innovative CleanSmoke smoking process, large amounts of wood can be saved. Compared to conventional processes – namely around 50 percent. This process uses pre-cleaned primary smoke condensates, which are made from residues from the woodworking industry, among other things. These are usually sawdust but also crown and branch wood from sawmills and furniture production.
When smoking with CleanSmoke, compressed air is used to produce a fresh, stable smoke for the smoking chamber from this smoke condensate. This allows food to be smoked with a low level of pollutants and in a way that is gentle on the climate and resources.
Modern smoking uses half the amount of wood
According to calculations by the German Institute of Food Technologies (DIL), the use of CleanSmoke could reduce wood consumption by around 3,400 tons per year in Germany alone. For example, according to the DIL, conventional smoking (friction or smoldering smoke) requires about 3.75 kg of wood per ton of smoked meat. In contrast, the primary smoke product for CleanSmoke could be produced from as little as 1.9 kg of wood.
Overall, the consumption of wood for conventional smoking is almost twice as high as for CleanSmoke. The use of a total of around 3,400 metric tons of residual wood for the production of primary smoke condensates compares with around 6,800 metric tons of wood for glow and friction smoking. According to the DIL life cycle assessment, the potential wood savings through the use of CleanSmoke is therefore around 3,400 tons. That would be enough to build more than 100 wooden houses.