For this year’s International Baking Industry Exposition (IBIE), Snack Food & Wholesale Bakery again partnered with IBIE to produce a new, improved and expanded B.E.S.T. in Baking Program. B.E.S.T. stands for “Becoming Environmentally Sustainable Together,” highlighting particularly notable sustainability achievements in baking today. For 2016, the program consists of four supplier categories, equipment, ingredients, packaging and logistics, as well as two categories for bakeries, wholesale and retail. The program received a record number of nominations.

The program’s independent panel of judges selected 50 companies for the program, with companies selected to receive “Top Honors,” one per category: Heuft Thermo-Oel GmbH & Co., Palsgaard, Citamel Packaging, FlexiBake, Pepperidge Farm and O&H Danish Bakery. Here are some highlights from their achievements:

• Heuft ovens use efficient, energy-saving thermo-oil, heat integration systems help bakers recover heat and reduce energy costs by up to 40 percent, and an electronic management system regulates the heat exchanger system and helps speed return on investment
• In Denmark, Paalsgard recycles waste straw from grains produced in their own fields to fuel their indoor heating. In Mexico, an estimated 85 percent of electricity is generated by solar panels.
• Citamel Packaging offers certified compostable and biodegradable polymer packaging, made from bio-based, renewable resources.
• FlexiBake’s paperless ERP system tags raw materials with “best before” dates and lot numbers to promote first-in, first-out (FIFO) inventory. Also, the software allows automatic, efficient scheduling of driver routes. 
• Pepperidge Farms is reducing greenhouse gas emissions from operations by 50 percent per metric ton of product produced, reducing energy use by 35 percent per ton of food produced and sourcing 40 percent of electricity from renewable energy. The bakery has also made use of fuel cells, with excess power exported to the grid. One new fuel cell will result in the reduction of over 6,300 metric tons of greenhouse gas emissions, and reduce energy costs.
• O&H Danish Bakery has taken five key steps toward improved sustainability: a 152 kWh solar system, high-volume, low-speed fan destratification, LED motion-sensor lighting, refrigeration heat recovery, and a system where bakery waste is ground and transformed into renewable energy. Pretty exciting stuff! 

During IBIE, stop by the B.E.S.T. in Baking Lounge to learn more about these companies, as well as all 50 who qualified for the 2016 program. Congratulations to all of these well-deserved honors!