NEW INNOVATION SUPPORTING NEW ZEALAND BUSINESS’S SUSTAINABILITY GOALS

Chelsea has been refining sugar at its site on the northern shore of Auckland's Waitemata Harbour since 1884. It is one of the first sugar refiners in the world to harness this technology in its production process.

New Zealand Sugar Company (Chelsea Sugar) has made strides towards achieving its carbon emissions goals by completing its Mechanical Vapour Recompression Evaporator (MVR) Project.

The MVR project, which has been fully operational for just six weeks, was co-funded through the Government Investment in Decarbonisation (GIDI)

Fund and enabled Chelsea to recover and reuse energy generally lost through the evaporation process. The new method is 18 times more efficient than singlestep evaporation.

In 2020, in partnership with EECA (Energy Efficiency and Conservation Authority), Chelsea undertook an Energy Transition Accelerator (ETA) study where the MVR

Project was identified as a viable emission abatement solution.

“The results of our ETA study were pivotal in identifying areas where we could make significant strides in our emissions abatement and, in turn, allow the business to set ambitious emission reduction goals,” said Bernard Duignan, CEO of New Zealand Sugar Company.

“Chelsea has been integral to New Zealand’s food and beverage manufacturing sector for over a century. Producing around 205,000 tonnes of product yearly for domestic and export markets. We are very much business with our sights set on the next 100 years and continuing to improve sustainably and relevantly.”

Duignan explained that the MVR Evaporator represented a leap forward in the company’s sustainability goals. The innovation was approximated to reduce its greenhouse gas emissions by more than 30 percent by 2030, to be Net Zero Carbon by 2050. Read more here

Australian Seafood Industry Welcomes Free Trade Agreement

produced great Australian seafood. While UK consumers will have access to the greatest seafood in the world, tarifffree.”

The free trade agreement will help to increase the competitiveness of Australian seafood in the UK market and will provide Australian seafood companies with new opportunities to expand their international operations and diversify markets.

“Australian seafood exports to the UK were worth $720,000AUD in the 2020-21 period. The new agreement is expected to significantly boost this figure in the coming years and help to drive growth and diversity within the Australian seafood industry,” said Papacosta.

Seafood Industry Australia (SIA), the national peak-body representing Australia’s commercial seafood industry, has welcomed the recent signing of the free trade agreement between Australia and the United Kingdom.

“The agreement is expected to create a wealth of new opportunities for the Australian seafood industry and strengthen trade ties between our two nations,” said SIA CEO Veronica Papacosta. “Our Great Australian Seafood producers now have access to more than 65 million UK consumers who value our safe, healthy, and sustainably

The agreement will provide a much-needed boost to the Australian seafood industry, and is likely to support the growth and success of the industry for many years to come.

“The Australian seafood industry is committed to working closely with the Australian and UK governments to ensure that the new agreement is implemented smoothly and effectively. With its world-class seafood products and our commitment to sustainability, the Australian seafood industry is well-positioned to take advantage of the opportunities provided by this new agreement and to continue to grow and thrive in the years ahead.”