Aker BioMarine Commits to Industry-leading Emissions-free Operations in Antarctica

Aker BioMarine, a biotech innovator and Antarctic krill-harvesting company is a Premium Member of the Thai-Norwegian Chamber of Commerce. The company is dedicated to improving human and planetary health. Admitted to trading on Euronext Growth, the company develops krill-based ingredients for pharmaceutical, nutraceutical, aquaculture, and animal feed applications for example. Moreover, the company’s fully transparent value chain stretches from sustainable krill harvesting in pristine Antarctic waters through its Montevideo logistics hub, Houston production plant, and to customers around the world. The tough sustainability goals inspired Aker BioMarine to launch of AION by Aker BioMarine, a company focusing on circular economy initiatives and dedicated to helping companies recycle and reuse waste. The company launches its ambitious sustainability goals towards 2030.

As part of its sustainability strategy, Aker BioMarine commits to:

• Reduce CO2 emissions per ton krill produced by 50 percent by 2030 and reach net-zero carbon emissions by 2050.
• Deploy use of green ammonia to power the company’s vessels to support the reduced emissions goal.
• Reduce CO2 emissions per ton krill oil produced by 50 percent by 2030 in the Houston production plant. Aker BioMarine uses advanced science and data analysis to improve the production processes to reach the target.
• Support and drive AION, the newly launched circularity company that will repurpose all product and plastic waste into new products that are used in high volume such as shopping baskets and food trays. AION is already working with customers such as McDonald’s, NorgesGruppen and Varner.
• Reduce the amount of fuel used to locate krill through use of ocean drones and flying drones. These devices minimise the time harvesting vessels need to spend searching for krill. Aker BioMarine has already deployed its first ocean data drone with the aim of significantly reducing financial and environmental costs and collecting scientific information. All the drones collecting data operate with zero emission.

“We consider ourselves pioneers at Aker BioMarine, which for us means that we want to lead our industry in a more sustainable direction. As a company, we make no excuses when it comes to meeting our targets. We are forging a new and more planet-friendly path, tackling challenges, embracing technology, and making more sustainable choices than ever done before in our industry,” says Matts Johansen, CEO of Aker BioMarine.

Aker BioMarine to pioneer green ammonia on vessels in Antarctica

At the end of February 2021, Aker BioMarine and Aker Clean Hydrogen signed an agreement and are teaming up with other key players to industrialise the production of green ammonia, in an industry first move. This will support Aker BioMarine’s mission to make the vessels completely carbon-free. For example, Aker BioMarine’s newest support vessel, Antarctic Provider, is equipped with the most energy efficient engine in the world, a hybrid engine that is convertible for greener fuels of the future.

“Green ammonia is the most promising sustainable fuel for the shipping industry. It is essential that the industry tests and develops solutions for ammonia on a large scale. This will make it possible not only for Aker BioMarine, but also for Norwegian suppliers and renewable companies, to be world-leading on greener solutions for a broad range of sectors,” says Christina Ianssen, Sustainability Manager at Aker BioMarine.

Aker BioMarine plans to have vessels that are using ammonia as fuel towards 2030, when the infrastructure for production and distribution of green ammonia is in place.

Cut CO2 emissions in half by 2030

The company’s ambitions for CO2-cuts are closely connected to the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), specifically goal 13, that calls for urgent action to combat climate change and to slow and stop global warming. To achieve this, CO2 emissions must be reduced significantly in the near-term.

In the last ten years Aker BioMarine has cut its CO2 emissions per ton krill produced by approximately 50 percent. The goal is to redo this in the next ten years. Aker BioMarine has already implemented several sustainability initiatives towards its goal, such as implementation of analytical tools to reduce consumption of consumables and energy at the Houston manufacturing plant, reuse of energy and efficiency projects on the vessels. These initiatives have put the company on course to reach its 2030 targets.

Further, Aker BioMarine has signed off on eight sustainability commitments to be achieved by 2030. These commitments will guide the company in ensuring responsible operations throughout the value chain, as well as in making a positive impact:

• Reduce its carbon intensity per ton krill produced by 50 percent from 2020 levels.
• Ensure full circularity on all of its principal waste streams.
• Make aquaculture production more efficient, by contributing to 1 billion extra servings of seafood produced annually.
• Combat lifestyle diseases by delivering 5 billion doses of health promoting nutrients annually.
• Develop innovative products that play an integral role in sustainable diets and the future food system.
• Decarbonise aqua and animal feed by delivering low-carbon marine ingredients.
• Improve sustainability of fisheries through contributing to data and science driven regulation and ocean management.
• Maintain unconditional Marine Stewardship Council (MSC) certification and ensure transparency in vessel operations.

“These sustainability goals support our overall purpose – to improve human and planetary health – and make this purpose even more tangible. Every single person working in Aker BioMarine is involved in achieving these goals, and we will work across the company’s entire value chain to make sure we lead the way to a net zero end,” Johansen adds.

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