Dutch co-op's profit slumps
One of the world's largest dairy co-operatives is reporting a slump in half-year profits on the back of declining commodity prices and lower sales volumes.
European Dairy co-op FrieslandCampina will from next month sell its fresh milk and buttermilk in ‘bio-based’ cartons.
The already-paper cartons will have their caps and coatings made from certified-organic waste polyethylene.
FrieslandCampina says this innovation makes the container the most sustainable beverage carton ever. “The CO2 footprint of this bio-based milk carton is 20% lower than the current carton.”
The co-op’s managing director in the Netherlands, Berndt Kodden, recently presented a carton to Jacqueline Cramer, professor of sustainable innovation, Utrecht University.
Says Knodden, “In recent years our beverage carton has undergone a sustainable evolution. Now we [have] a bio-based milk carton in which we invest in the transition to renewable raw materials.”
Cramer says the carton fits perfectly within the movement to a ‘circular’ economy, where the raw material of the carton is completely renewable. “This step can work as a flywheel because the technology is accessible to everyone.”
The carton is a useful application of waste streams, the co-op says. The material supplier, Elopak, says it hopes the project will lead to an increase in demand for the certified bio-based cartons.
Federated Farmers president Wayne Langford is claiming “some real success” on the 12 policy priorities it placed before the Coalition Government.
Federated Farmers is throwing its support behind the Fast-track Approvals Bill introduced by the Coalition Government to enable a fast-track decision-making process for infrastructure and development projects.
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In what appears to be a casualty of the downturn in the agricultural sector, a well-known machinery brand is now in the hands of liquidators and owing creditors $6.6 million.
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