Arla organic milk products now made with Finnish biogas

The cooperative dairy Hämeenlinnan Osuusmeijeri and Gasum have entered into an agreement on the use of biogas in the manufacture of Arla organic milk products. From now on these organic milk products will be made with 100% Finnish and emission-free energy.

Manufacturing organic products for the Arla dairy company, Hämeenlinnan Osuusmeijeri has started the use of biogas in its production. From now on biogas will be used in the manufacturing processes of organic milk, buttermilk and cream. These products can also be spotted on retail outlet shelves on the basis of the Biogas Label printed on the packaging.

”Hämeenlinnan Osuusmeijeri is investing in more environmentally friendly solutions, and the switch to biogas in the production of organic milk products was a natural step for us. The circular economy perspective where energy is recovered from side streams and then reused was also an important factor in our decision to introduce biogas,” says Anne Isokangas, Quality and Environmental Manager from Hämeenlinnan Osuusmeijeri.

”We have set our aims high as regards the future use of renewable sources of energy, and this agreement is a small yet all the more important step for us. We believe that the use of renewable energy in the product manufacturing process is also important for consumers of organic products,” says Sanna Heikfolk, Product Group Manager from Arla.

From this autumn onwards the biogas used by Hämeenlinnan Osuusmeijeri will be produced from side streams generated in dairy product manufacture as well as any customer returns. These unutilized streams will be transported to the biogas plant soon to be opened in Riihimäki where they will be processed into biogas used by the dairy factory. The biogas will be supplied to Hämeenlinnan Osuusmeijeri by the heating company Elenia Lämpö Oy, which provides its customers with diverse and environmentally friendly energy solutions that meet the various needs of its customers.

”It’s really great that a large player in the dairy sector is investing this strongly in biogas. The decision made by Hämeenlinnan Osuusmeijeri to switch to biogas may affect the purchase decisions of up to 1.5 million people in Finland. The current trend is for consumers to want their dairy products to be environmentally friendly, and dairy companies are now clearly responding to this demand,” says Jani Arala, Senior Manager, Sales, Biogas Business, from Gasum.

Gasum biogas is a Finnish biofuel always made from fully renewable raw materials that is injected into the gas network from Espoo, Kouvola and Lahti, and from this autumn onwards also from the new Riihimäki biogas facility. Biogas is a versatile energy source sold to industry, service providers, heat and power production, homes and restaurants using gas cookers, and for use as a road vehicle fuel.

For further information please contact:

Jani Arala, Senior Manager, Sales, Biogas Solutions, Gasum Ltd
Phone: +358 44 054 8583, firstname.surname(a)gasum.fi

Anne Isokangas, Quality and Environmental Manager, Hämeenlinnan Osuusmeijeri Phone: +358 40 513 8196, firstname.surname(a)hmlosuusmeijeri.fi

Tero Holappa, Head of Customer Relations and Business Development, Elenia Lämpö Oy
Phone: +358 40 776 2097, firstname.surname(a)elenia.fi