The future-proof bakery; we see value in that

FHI organizes it on June 5 Energy in Industry event in the Basilica in Veenendaal. Wim Kannegieter, director of the Dutch Bakery Association (NVB), talks about sustainability and electrification within the baking industry.

Wim has been director of the NVB since 2012. He says that the industrial bakery sector is distinguished by its energy consumption. “People think that baking bread uses a lot of energy.” He admits that this is also the case, but that this must be placed in context.

Within the baking industry, the industrial branch is the largest consumer. But when you place this within the energy consumption of the entire Dutch food industry, twelve percent of this is at the expense of the industrial bakery.

“Bread and other grain products have a relatively low environmental impact compared to basic animal foods such as dairy and meat.”[1]

The basic product, grain, has a very low environmental impact. In addition, virtually no waste is released during the production of bread.

Sustainability

The baking industry is actively committed to the switch from gas to electricity. This transition takes place on the one hand through process optimization and sustainability and on the other hand by switching from gas ovens to electric ovens.

Here the bakers immediately face the biggest challenge: grid congestion. Wim: “If the bakery industry wants to become more sustainable locally, this is often not possible due to grid congestion.” And in addition, grid congestion cannot be solved by “resources such as solar energy and wind turbines”. The industrial bakery is a continuous process that must be able to run independently of hours of sunshine and wind. “The bakery needs 24/7 capacity.”

90 percent of Dutch bread is baked at approximately 60 locations. These are industrial bakeries that produce bread on a large scale. To guarantee this continuous production, a considerable amount of energy is required.

During his presentation for the Energy in Industry event, Wim will discuss the role that the NVB plays in the bakery's sustainability process. “We have been working on this since the Paris climate agreement (2015),” says Wim. The NVB focuses on how the sustainability process will develop and how local bakeries should get started with this. And mainly: “how do you ensure that you can still produce in the future?”

“Ultimately,” says Wim, “the extent to which a company becomes more sustainable will change from one unique selling point in a license to operate.” He indicates that we have actually already entered the second phase. “An industrial bakery that is not currently setting up its business systems to comply with the CSRD guidelines[2], makes itself an impossible partner for wholesalers. Supermarkets and catering wholesalers have a reporting obligation and will impose requirements on their suppliers.”

The NVB places an explicit focus on this. There is a transition period until 2030, during which there will be time for the members of the NVB, among others, to optimize the existing systems. “The bakeries must use this time to look for improvements within the existing structure.” Then comes the big step from gas to electricity.

“The switch between supply and demand is the cardinal issue.”

The NVB realized early on that this presented a challenge. Wim sees a clear capacity problem here. From a technical point of view, various machine builders have come up with solutions to switch to an electric oven. There are also good alternatives for this in the Netherlands. The problem lies with the provision of sufficient capacity. The challenge lies in the fact that the amount of energy contained in gas is higher than in electricity. And to bake bread you need a fair amount of energy. The result is that an industrial bakery requires a relatively large amount of electricity. And the capacity for this is not present now.

We are in a new reality with high energy prices and sustainability projects towards electrification. The bakery has to change and we are faced with the challenge of being able to guarantee our daily bread for the future.

Do you want to know more? During the Energy in Industry event, Wim Kannegieter will talk further about sustainability and electrification within the bakery sector. Visit the website for more information and sign up for a free visit.

[1] A good story: influence of bread on the environment | NBC

[2] European Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive (CSRD) Mandatory sustainability reporting: this is what it means | Chamber of Commerce