Environment and biodiversity

Environmental policy

CropEnergies is committed to reducing the resource requirements and environmental impact of its business activities. For us, this means that all legal and self-imposed requirements are complied with and that production processes and associated supply chains (including procurement) are continuously reviewed and optimized with regard to their environmental impact.

Environmental management

The environmental risks associated with production mainly relate to the use of energy and water as well as the generation of emissions, waste water and waste. CropEnergies counters these environmental risks by constantly monitoring and improving its business processes. Südzucker AG's ISO 9001 system is responsible for implementing the environmental policy.

Water

CropEnergies strives for sustainable management of water resources by reducing the amount of fresh water required in the production plants through the concept of recirculation. The water used is mainly surface water and is generally drawn from neighboring rivers.

To treat the production wastewater, CropEnergies operates biological wastewater treatment plants at most sites, which have both aerobic and anaerobic units. The remaining wastewater is discharged into third-party wastewater treatment plants or municipal sewage treatment plants, so that environmentally sound treatment is always ensured.

Water withdrawal and recirculation (in million m³)

	2020	2021	2022
Surface water	5,6	6,3	6,6
Groundwater	0,4	0,2	0,1
Water supplier	0,5	0,7	1,2
Water withdrawal	6,5	7,2	7,9
Water return	5,8	6,6	6,0

Strictly speaking, the difference between the water withdrawn and the water discharged does not represent a consumption of water, as it remains in the natural water cycle. This is essentially water that is released into the atmosphere via cooling or drying processes, for example, or is contained in the product.

Waste

For CropEnergies, the avoidance, recycling, energy recovery and safe disposal of waste are key to a modern circular economy. The components contained in the raw materials are almost completely refined into ethanol and protein-rich products. If waste cannot be avoided, CropEnergies strives for a high recycling and recovery rate in the interests of sustainability and resource conservation.

	2020	2021	2022
Recycling	81,4	72,0	73,9
Composting	7,8	5,6	7,0
Landfill	4,8	7,5	2,9
Energy recovery	3,8	2,6	1,4
Other	0,5	2,2	3,6
of which hazardous waste	0,1	0,1	0,2
Total waste	98,3	99,0	88,9

In 2022, 92% of waste was recycled, composted or used to generate energy. 0.2% of all waste is hazardous waste as defined by the EU Waste Framework Directive. This mainly consists of used lubricants from production, alcohol residues or chemicals.

Greenhouse gas emissions

You can find more information on our greenhouse gas emissions here.

Biodiversity and ecosystems

Intact ecosystems are of fundamental importance for CropEnergies - with the strategic guideline "Innovation from Biomass". The protection of biodiversity and ecosystems is therefore an essential part of our sustainability strategy.

CropEnergies mainly sources raw materials of European origin. This avoids land use changes, for example in tropical rainforests with a high level of biodiversity. The sustainable biomass used by CropEnergies is also subject to strict legal regulations to ensure the sustainability of the raw materials for fuel production. These include the protection of moors and primary forests in order to protect biodiversity and natural carbon reservoirs.

Selection of local projects to preserve biodiversity at existing sites:

Belgium
- Planting of native tree species in the vicinity of the production plant in "Natura 2000" protected areas
- Planting near-natural hedges along the wastewater treatment plant
France
- Project to protect orchids on the plant site
- Establishment of beehives

You can find more information about our raw materials and our sustainable procurement management here.