German retailer Edeka has announced that it is opening a new carbon neutral banana ripening plant in Borna, near Leipzig, following a €7 million investment.
At the new facility, approximately 50,000 cartons of bananas will be ripened per week, totalling around 286 million bananas each year, which will be delivered to Edeka and Netto Marken-Discount stores across the country.
Edeka says that the banana is the most popular item in its fruit and vegetable department, and this new plant will ensure a steady supply of high quality products to its regional retailers.
The bananas are grown in Central and South America, before being transported to Germany. Here, the fruits are matured for five to seven days under controlled conditions, and are then delivered to Edeka's logistic centres.
Ecological Standards
Edeka says that the highest ecological standards were taken into account when building this new plant.
Solar panels were installed on the roof, and a gas operated combined heat and power plant is also used, which produce around 95% of the plant's energy demands. The waste heat from the system is then used to produce refrigeration with an absorption chiller.
Overall, it saves up to two thirds of the total energy costs and about 1,000 tonnes of CO2 per year compared to a standard maturity plant.
Edeka now operates a total of four banana maturing plants, with three other facilities in Hamburg, Roisdorf, and Irbach.
© 2017 European Supermarket Magazine – your source for the latest retail news. Article by Sarah Harford. Click subscribe to sign up to ESM: The European Supermarket Magazine.
