Furlani Reduces Carbon Footprint with Bakery Changes

Reducing our Carbon Footprint one Garlic Breadstick at a Time

At Furlani we use our energy wisely and are proud to say we’ve recently reduced our carbon footprint by 34%.

We use both hydroelectricity and natural gas to power our baking facility where we bake and package your garlic bread, Texas toast, breadsticks, knots, soft rolls, and biscuits.

Natural gas, coal, and crude oil are natural resources found deep underground. They are called fossil fuels because they were formed millions of years ago out of the fossilized remains of prehistoric plants and animals.

Unfortunately burning fossil fuels increases carbon dioxide in the atmosphere. For that reason, carbon dioxide is a major contributor to the greenhouse effect. The more carbon dioxide is emitted, the larger the carbon footprint.

The greenhouse effect is when Earth’s atmosphere fills with gases, such as carbon dioxide, and traps the sun’s radiation. This warms the planet’s surface and leads to climate change.

Furlani Foods oven-overhaul project

We can all agree reducing our gas emissions is important. Hence Furlani took on an oven-overhaul project to improve both energy and cost efficiency.

This project has reduced our greenhouse gas emissions by 34 per cent!

“This is a great achievement,” says Arthur Maliszewski, manager of Capital Projects & Maintenance at Furlani. Arthur leads the team of great employees who support the technical aspects of our baking facility.

How it was done

Arthur and his team tackled this retrofit project in two parts.

The first part involved stripping two 100-foot ovens of insulation and replacing it with new insulation. New cover panels were also installed. This better insulates the ovens against heat leaks and lowers gas consumption.

Parts and support were supplied by the Czech company J4 – “Named after the four owners whose first names start with the letter J,” Arthur says.

Second, both ovens were upgraded with new high-efficiency, natural-gas burners. These are German-engineered and created by Weishaupt, “The Audi of the industry,” Arthur says.

The mechanical installation was completed by a local millwright company. Weishaupt’s local office and Furlani’s electrical team upgraded all the electrical.

All-in-all Arthur’s team put together a sophisticated system.

Furlani Foods exceeds its own goals

Furthermore, this project was completed under time. It was a challenge.

“We had to shut down each oven separately and the time was very limited,” Arthur says. But this was done safely. The project hit its targets and exceeded expectations of reducing natural gas and greenhouse gas emissions.

“We were hoping for a 20% reduction but got 34%. We are very proud of being greener and more environmentally friendly.”, said Arthur.

Consequently, an environmental consulting firm verified and confirmed the 34% reduction of greenhouse gas emissions in Furlani’s final project report.

What else is energy efficient?

Furlani’s warehouse, production facility and offices are all lit by efficient T5 and LED lighting system. The company invests in equipment and components, which reduce electrical consumption.

“We monitor how many products we produce and how much energy we’re using to do that,” Arthur says. The company has seen the trend of reduced consumption over the years – in both natural gas and electricity.

Reducing greenhouse gas emissions is everyone’s responsibility. Reducing our carbon footprint isn’t too difficult. It’s rather simple if we mindfully reduce, reuse, recycle and retrofit.

Read more about what else can be done here: Every day is Earth day