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Producing food and chocolate with green energy

The Danish energy fund SustainSolutions will build solar cells on the roofs of the Danish catering company Cofoco Food and the Danish chocolate company Simply Chocolate’s production. This means that the food and chocolate in the close future will be made on green electricity from solar cells.

The two neighboring companies, which are located in Copenhagen, are at the forefront when it comes to green transition. Simply Chocolate has already reduced their CO2 emissions by installing energy-friendly LED lighting and Cofoco has planted 35,000 trees in Tanzania, absorbing CO2 from the atmosphere. Now the transition has come to their shared production. The two companies have decided to install solar cells on the roof so that they can produce food and chocolate bars with their own green power.

The solar cells will produce 300,000 kWh per year, corresponding to the electricity use in a residential area with 60 houses. The environment is thereby saved for a CO2 emission of over 100 tonnes per year.  Niels Østenkær, CEO of Simply Chocolate, are happy with the new project as they put climate and environment high on the agenda: “It is important to take care of our environment and that is why we prioritize sustainability. We think it is important to think sustainability throughout the supply chain in the production of our chocolate bars as well. We believe that creates the most value in the long run”, says Niels Østenkær.

August Lund, co-owner of Cofoco Food, agrees and points out that this is not the first time Cofoco invests in solar energy: “We believe that everyone has a responsibility to change the way we live and consume. We have already built a six-hectare solar park and with the new plant Cofoco now produces more green energy than we use. This means that we send out green energy to the electricity grid, which benefits the rest of society”, says August Lund.

A green investment – in many ways

It is the Danish energy fund SustainSolutions, which is responsible for building the solar plants on the roofs of the two companies. SustainSolutions has many investments in green energy projects, because these types of projects can pay off. The project will cost more than EUR 267.768, but will be payed off in 10 years due to the savings on the energy bill. “Companies should see the good investment in solar cells”, says Christian Niepoort, CEO of SustainSolutions and continues:

“Companies must make their productions climate-friendly if we are to achieve the goals of the Paris Agreement. It requires far more taking responsibility for reducing its expenditure like Cofoco Food and Simply Chocolate does. Solar cells are not only good for the environment, but are also a good business case, as they in the long run produces free electricity for many years to come”, Says Christian Niepoort. The construction of the solar cells is expected to start at the end of the year.

Source: SustainSolutions