Peru, June 2024.- As part of its commitment to sustainability, Austral Group, in partnership with the Pontifical Catholic University of Peru (PUCP), presented the results of its Product Carbon Footprint for fishmeal and fish oil, verifying that these marine ingredients produced by the company have a lower environmental impact compared to other products used in aquaculture.
It is worth mentioning that Peruvian anchoveta contributes 20% to the global production of fishmeal and fish oil, thereby strategically contributing to global aquaculture growth. In this context, the Product Carbon Footprint study for the aforementioned marine ingredients reaffirms the positioning of the Peruvian fishing industry as an international benchmark.
Scientific Validation
The research, carried out by the Peruvian Network for Life Cycle Assessment and Industrial Ecology (PELCAN) at PUCP, analyzed data from the years 2019 and 2021 recorded at the Austral Group plants in Coishco (Ancash), Chancay (Lima), Pisco (Ica), and Ilo (Moquegua). It covered the entire value chain, from extraction and processing to the transportation of these products, using a methodology based on the international standard ISO 14067.
This research represents the most accurate one conducted to date for products derived from Peruvian anchoveta, as it includes not only data measurement in the three stages mentioned but also the three most used types of allocation (mass, energy, and economic).
In this regard, the CEO of Austral Group, Adriana Giudice, highlighted that the results of this research demonstrate the impact of all the actions the company is undertaking to reduce its emissions as part of its commitment to the fight against climate change.
“We are confident that by analyzing all stages of extraction, production, and marketing, the research enables the identification of emission reduction opportunities and the generation of new actions to be implemented by our Energy Efficiency Committee,” she emphasized.
Findings
The research identifies that the implementation of energy efficiency projects has led to a significant reduction in greenhouse gas emissions, with the most relevant being the shift to natural gas energy in all Austral Group plants located in the North-Central coast of Peru.
Adriana Giudice recalled that this milestone of switching to natural gas in the boilers of their plants in Pisco, Chancay, and Coishco represented an investment of US$4.7 million. Likewise, she recognized that this project has generated an estimated emission savings of 31,658 tons of carbon equivalent (TCO2eq) from its base year 2018 to date.
