Let it thaw: CNPF finds way to cut water use in defrosting tuna
Food and beverage manufacturer Century Pacific Food Inc. (CNPF) has redesigned its flagship tuna manufacturing plant in General Santos City to embrace planet-friendly technology, thus saving as much as 30 percent in terms of water consumption last year.
“In line with our commitment to become a more sustainable and responsible company, we are taking the necessary steps to improve our natural resource efficiency. We know how precious water is, especially now when the country needs it more to combat the pandemic via health and hygiene practices,” Teddy Kho, vice president and general manager of CNPF’s tuna original equipment manufacturing business, said in a disclosure to the Philippine Stock Exchange on Monday.
CNPF’s manufacturing plant in General Santos City, which produces the flagship brand Century Tuna, consumed a total of 2.2 billion liters of water in 2019, about 30 percent of which was used for thawing frozen tuna.
The Po family-led company thus saw an opportunity to drastically reduce its water use by designing a first-of-its-kind method that decreased by half the water used in thawing frozen tuna. This initiative, along with other water reduction projects, allows the factory to conserve 660 million liters of water annually.
“Our formula is simple: reduce, reheat, reuse. We will continue to look for ways to continue our sustainability strategy and accelerate initiatives that contribute to protecting the environment,” said Kho.
To support its commitment to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, CNPF is also embarking on a 4.5-megawatt solar project in General Santos.
Solar panels installed on roofs would allow CNPF to source almost 15 percent of its overall power requirements through renewable energy and reduce its emissions by around 123,900 metric tons. The solar panels are expected to go online by the middle of this year.
CNPF is also set to continue its 100-percent “plastic neutral” initiative through a recent partnership with Plastic Credit Exchange for plastic offsetting. This program collects municipal plastic waste equivalent to the tonnage of postconsumer plastic CNPF products use, and coprocesses the plastic into energy in lieu of using coal.
