5 Ways La Española Olive Oil Is Committed To A Sustainable Future
2022-05-30
La Española Olive Oil is committed to producing some of the best olive oil in the world while respecting and protecting the environment.
As the oldest olive oil company in Spain, we understand the importance of the environment and that is why we are striving towards a sustainable future to continue providing quality olive oil for generations to come.
La Española’s commitment to sustainability
Our objective is to set the benchmark for sustainability in the olive oil industry in Spain. It’s a clear and bold objective. So how do we achieve this goal? Here are the 5 ways La Española Olive Oil is committed to a sustainable future.
1. Our Net Zero Strategy
Our Net Zero Strategy is a commitment to working towards ensuring La Española Olive Oil produces a net zero contribution to pollution of our planet.
This means reducing greenhouse gas emissions and balancing any remaining emissions by removing an equivalent amount to arrive at zero. Our Net Zero Journey Plan focuses on 4 key areas:
- Energy: measuring our carbon footprint, reducing our energy consumption, installing biomass boilers for efficient energy use, and installing solar panels to improve and provide self-sufficient energy.
- Natural resources: reducing and measuring water consumption, reducing effluent production, improving biodiversity, and offsetting CO2 by recovering unproductive land.
- Consumption and waste: optimising the consumption of raw materials, reducing waste generation, increasing efficiency in transport, and nurturing our local supplier relationships.
- Recyclability: increasing our recycle rate, reducing the weight of our packaging, and incorporating recycled material into our packaging.
To help us deliver this strategy, our parent company Acesur created a Decarbonisation Committee which is responsible for reporting, monitoring, and implementing actions aimed at achieving our targets.
2. Our Facilities
The improvements implemented on our facilities have allowed us to be at the forefront of sustainability in the agri-food sector in Spain. A number of key planned improvements have been made to our facilities which include:
- New bottling facilities: new bottling facilities increased efficiency by 50% for each bottle packaged.
- Installing solar panels: The installation of solar panels will lead to a 20% increase in energy self-sufficiency by making use of a resource we get plenty of in Spain — Sun!
- Improving logistics: National logistics have become more efficient with a reduction of more than 20% in truck movements and therefore reducing CO2 emissions per every bottle sold.
- Recovering unproductive land: more than 300 hectares of land in Seville has been converted into a super intensive olive grove which uses less land and results in a reduction of carbon dioxide put into the atmosphere.
3. Products and packaging materials
As well as ensuring our olive oil is produced using sustainable methods, at La Española we also work to ensure that our packaging is efficient, proportionate, sourced sustainably, and are fully recyclable with recycled material.
We strive towards the reduction of plastics and sourcing alternative materials that are bio-based, biodegradable and/or compostable.
Watch this space for the launch of our very own innovative bioplastic bottle Olivepack which is made from olive pulp. The nano cellulose fibres will be incorporated into the bottle structure which will have huge benefits in product quality and our own sustainability targets.
The Olivepack project is planned to be complete in 2024.
4. Focusing on organics
It’s unsurprising that people look to organic and sustainably produced foods in the 21st Century — not just for their own health but for the health of the planet.
At La Española, we are focused on organics in order to produce quality olive oil that is loved by millions around the world and that is environmentally responsible.
On top of this, we think the closer we are to nature, the more ‘pure’ our olive oil tastes! Have you tried our newest Organic Extra Virgin Olive Oil?
5. Quality and food safety commitment
We are extremely proud of our long history of producing a quality and safe product to our loyal customers for over 180 years.
To ensure we continue to provide the best olive oil possible, there are more than 50 people working on the Quality and Food Safety Commitment. La Espanola’s facilities are audited and certified by institutions such as AENOR, CAAE, and HFCE.
As well as our products, our processes meet the highest food safety quality standards.
La Española Olive Oil is committed to sustainability
At La Española, we believe we have found the perfect balance between protecting the environment, working towards a more sustainable future, and crafting beautifully rich olive oils that support traditional techniques.
five ways to protect the environment, at La Espanola we protect the environment with responsible practices.
