Sustainable Food Processing Equipment: How the Right Equipment Suppliers Can Accelerate Your Emissions Reduction Journey
- Anantha Peramuna, PhD
- Apr 22
- 6 min read
When food manufacturers talk about net-zero, the focus is usually on ingredients, packaging, and transport. But there’s another piece of the puzzle that could make or break your sustainability goals: the equipment running inside your facility.
From ovens and chillers to dryers and CIP systems, your industrial food processing equipment shapes your energy footprint, water use, and emissions profile. In fact, transforming raw ingredients into packaged food is one of the most energy-intensive parts of the food system—emitting 0.6 billion tons of CO₂e every year, equal to driving 140 million gasoline-powered cars for a year. On top of that, 24% of businesses’ operating costs are tied to energy, and food processing is responsible for 19% of all food waste in the supply chain.
So if you're serious about climate goals, it's time to take a closer look inside your own walls and at your opportunities to invest in energy-efficient equipment for sustainable food processing that supports those goals.
Uncovering the Hidden Emissions in Your Operations
While sustainability conversations often revolve around Scope 3 emission reductions, your Scope 1 and Scope 2 emissions—what happens in your facility—are driven by outdated or energy-inefficient food processing machinery. Here's where the emissions really start to add up:
Waste heat that escapes unused.
Fossil-fueled systems with no electrification path.
Legacy machines lacking smart controls.
Refrigeration leaks that release high-GWP gases.
Inefficient lines that cause food loss and yield drops.
Research shows that poorly maintained heat exchangers alone could account for 2.5% of global CO₂ emissions—nearly as much as the entire airline industry.
And then there’s food waste. Globally, up to 40% of food is wasted, and a major chunk happens during food manufacturing and processing operations. That’s not just product loss—it’s embedded emissions from land use, fertilizers, water, and energy wasted.
A New Generation of Equipment for Sustainable Food Processing
The good news? The tools to change this already exist. Equipment manufacturers are innovating fast:
Energy-efficient processing equipment that does more with less.
Electric ovens, dryers, and boilers ready for clean energy.
Smart process controls that optimize performance in real time.
Heat recovery units that cut thermal energy waste.
Low-GWP refrigerants that don’t compromise cooling.
Precision tech that reduces raw material loss.
Upcycling machinery that turns waste into revenue.
These technology upgrades in food processing equipment can shrink your footprint, boost reliability, and help you win business from buyers who now factor sustainability into procurement.
Areas for energy efficiency improvements
(adapted from Corigliano, Orlando, Pietropaolo Morrone, and Angelo Algieri. "Navigating the Challenges of Sustainability in the Food Processing Chain: Insights into Energy Interventions to Reduce Footprint." Energies 18.2 (2025): 296.)
Emerging technologies | Energy Gains |
Boiler and steam distribution | Radiation and unbalanced losses can account for 0.2–2% of 10–500 MW size. Gain of 1% can be achieved by 15% reduction in excess air. Addressing steam leaks can yield efficiency gains of 3–5%. Maintaining and inspecting steam traps can result in fuel savings of approximately 10% Additional 5% of potential savings can derive from an automized control system.Partialization could achieve up to 10% in fuel savings. |
Condensing economizers | Improvement of system efficiency by up to 10–25% Gain of 1% in efficiency for every 5 °C reduction in exhaust gas temperature. Fuel saving of 5–10%. Limit of 120 °C in the flue gas to avoid corrosion. |
Waste heat recovery | Energy wastage in the food industry can range from 10% to 45%. Major sources are heating and refrigeration systems, hot water or air streams used in production, and heat generated during various processing operations. The technologies of recovery primarily take the form of heat exchangers. Air preheaters are employed for gas-to-gas recovery within low to intermediate temperature ranges. Economizers are typically deployed in low to medium-temperature applications, primarily for heating liquids. ORC technologies are attractive in harnessing low-grade temperature waste heat (from heat to power). In the UK, 40 TWh/yr can be recirculated into facilities. Air preheaters powered by oven waste heat can yield a 4% reduction in fuel consumption. |
Heat pumps | The adoption within the food industry is regarded as advantageous when the coefficient of performance exceeds 3. Energy savings of around 20–45% can be achieved. |
Refrigeration | Refrigeration is energy-intensive, the electrical energy consumption can account for as much as 50–85%. Head pressure control system can potentially save around 25%. Regular performance maintenance can guarantee potential savings of 10–20%. Minimizing the total compressor shaft work through optimization of pressure and temperature levels leads to a 7.17% reduction in total shaft work. Absorption chillers are typically a mixture of lithium bromide and water or ammonia and water produce chilled water at a temperature of approximately 7 °C when operated with a low-grade heat source like low-pressure steam. |
Heat and power technology | When a facility sources its electricity from the local utility and generates thermal energy by burning natural gas, the energy conversion process is only 30–35% efficient. However, employing CHP to generate electric energy on-site and use the heat of system can substantially increase efficiency by up to 80%. CHP plants can achieve a reduction in primary energy consumption of about 46% |
Variable speed drives | Variable speed drives have been shown to reach energy savings of 30–70%. |
Non thermal technologies | Pulsed UV-light, Ultrasound, ionizing radiation, cold plasma, Pulsed Electric Field, High Hydrostatic Pressure. For instance, microwave assistance can reduce drying time by 25–90%, increase drying rate by 400–800%, and reduce energy consumption by 32–71%. Ultrasound assistance has also shown potential for reducing processing times, with reported reductions of up to 11.5%. Pulsed and high electric fields involve short-duration electric pulses. |
Emerging technologies | IoT-centered, S3 (’sensing’, ’smart’, and ’sustainable’). From the study [152], an annual energy savings of 172,281 USD and a reduction of 807,081 kWh in electricity consumption resulted by replacing outdated boilers, upgrading lighting to LED systems, installing Variable Frequency Drives in beverage filling pumps, replacing old electric motors with VFD-based ones, and converting the chiller plant into a humidification system. |
What’s Missing? Clear, Comparable Impact Data
Here’s the truth: manufacturers might tell you their equipment is “xx% better than industry standards”—but what does that really mean? In many cases, those standards are benchmarked against the worst performers in the market. So while the claim might sound impressive, it may only deliver marginal improvements in reality.
Some manufacturers offer emissions calculators to estimate potential savings, which is a step in the right direction. But those tools typically focus on equipment-level metrics, not the full product lifecycle. That means you could be shown a 90% reduction for a single machine—only to find out that it makes less than a 1% dent in your product’s total carbon footprint.
This is the core challenge: without understanding the product-level carbon footprint of each upgrade, it’s hard to know which investments will actually move the needle.
That’s why food manufacturers need better tools—tools that put each decision in the context of the entire operation, especially when evaluating equipment for sustainable food processing, so you can prioritize upgrades that deliver real emissions reductions and maximize ROI.
This Is Where Nature Preserve Comes In
That’s where Nature Preserve bridges the gap.
We go beyond one-off equipment calculators or generic benchmarks. Our platform helps you understand how any equipment upgrade—whether it’s a new dryer, heat exchanger, or smart control system—impacts your entire product’s emissions profile, not just isolated energy savings.
Instead of settling for claims like “90% better than industry standard,” we show you what that really means in the context of your production line, your facility, and your product-level footprint.
With Nature Preserve, you can:
Simulate the true emissions impact of replacing or upgrading equipment.
Compare reduction outcomes across suppliers and technologies.
Prioritize investments that deliver the most emissions reduction per euro spent.
We also work with equipment manufacturers, giving them the tools to validate and transparently communicate the emissions impact of their products—helping you make more informed, aligned decisions.
Help Your Customers Quantify Emissions Savings! Book a meeting to hear about our Partner Program!
Whether you’re looking to future-proof your factory or stay competitive in an ESG-driven supply chain, Nature Preserve gives you the emissions intelligence to make every investment count.
Ready to Prioritize the Right Equipment Upgrades?
Book a session with our team to see how we quantify emissions reduction from your production line.
Choose Suppliers Who Power Your Climate Strategy
In today’s market, emissions are a competitive axis alongside price and quality. That means your equipment decisions are climate decisions.
Forward-looking suppliers can help you:
Slash Scope 1 and 2 emissions through smarter systems.
Cut Scope 3 impacts via yield improvements and waste reduction.
Lower operating costs with energy and water savings.
Stay procurement-ready for your buyers’ ESG scorecards.
Future-proof your operations against climate regulations.
Are You an Equipment Supplier?
If you manufacture equipment or systems that reduce emissions, Nature Preserve can help you:
Quantify your climate impact.
Share that data with your customers.
Stand out in a market where net-zero is the new baseline.
We're entering new territory, and you're not alone.
As the pressure to decarbonize grows, equipment manufacturers and food producers alike are navigating unfamiliar ground. At Nature Preserve, we’re here to help you make sense of it—step by step. Whether you're an equipment supplier looking to support your customers more effectively, or a manufacturer trying to make smarter investment decisions, we offer tools that bring clarity, context, and confidence to sustainability strategy.
Are You an Equipment Supplier?
Nature Preserve can help you stand out in a net-zero market.
Join our Partner Program and give your customers the data they need to decarbonize with confidence.
