After 140 years, GC Rieber VivoMega Still At The Forefront Of Driving Sustainability
GC Rieber VivoMega, a Norwegian-based global leader in high-quality omega-3 concentrates, continues to demonstrate social and environmental responsibility.
GC Rieber VivoMega has expanded the recycling of its side-stream products by 165% since 2016, with the majority of the side-streams supplied domestically and delivered from its docks. This implies that more of its abandoned products are being reintroduced into the food chain, all while reducing the number of transport trucks on the road.
Jan Roger Bjerkestrand, CEO of GC Rieber VivoMega, said:
"Given the nature of our business and the landscape we operate in, it is essential for us to understand and acknowledge our global corporate and social responsibility.
“Since GC Rieber’s founding 140 years ago, one of our guiding principles is that we believe that natural resources should be passed on to future generations in the same or better condition than when we found them.”
GC Rieber VivoMega's sustainable processes reduce waste and its environmental impact from the first catch to the finished product. GC Rieber VivoMega’s starting material is a side-stream of the fish meal industry.
Over the last decade, the company has collaborated closely with the leading fish-meal producers to transform what was once deemed 'waste' into a high-value input for fish oil refining and concentration.
By design, the manufacture of omega-3 concentrates produces side-streams that have historically been sold and burned as energy. GC Rieber VivoMega has worked hard to identify new strategies to reintroduce these massive volumes into the food chain while reducing and repurposing the portions sold for energy.
Since 2016, the percentage of volume turned into nutrient-rich feed has increased by 165%. Also, this large volume of side-stream sales ships directly from the company’s port, with more than 50% being sold domestically, which is a 10-fold increase since 2016.
“Not all side-streams are sold externally. GC Rieber VivoMega is also repurposing the biofuel for internal consumption, reducing the need for external energy sources,” said Bjerkestrand. “Any remaining biofuel is then used by our local aquaculture and food production industries. Additionally, because we ship directly from our port, it has greatly reduced the number of diesel trucks on our streets.”
In addition, the company has taken great steps to integrate sustainability into its strategy. The established Global Reporting Initiative standards are now being used to contextualise and improve sustainability reporting.
GC Rieber VivoMega has an international supply chain and is tracking its CO2 emissions to better understand its global footprint and decrease emissions.
“Going forward, the company has a clear goal of shedding additional light on the great work that has been and will be done to provide high-quality omega-3s, all while protecting our environment,” said Bjerkestrand.
Source: Nutraceutical Business Review
