How the circular economy works within an olive oil mill

What are the benefits of a circular economy?

• Environmental protection : Reusing and recycling products slows the use of natural resources, reduces disruption to landscapes and habitats, and helps limit biodiversity loss.


• Reducing total annual greenhouse gas emissions : According to the European Environment Agency, industrial processes and product use are responsible for 9.10% of greenhouse gas emissions in the EU, while waste management accounts for 3.32%. Creating more efficient and sustainable products from the outset would help reduce energy and resource consumption, as it is estimated that over 80% of a product's environmental impact is determined during the design phase.


• Reducing waste by switching to more reliable products that can be reused, upgraded, and repaired. Packaging is a growing problem, and the average European citizen generates nearly 180 kilograms of packaging waste each year.


• Reduces dependence on raw materials : The world's population is growing, and with it the demand for raw materials. However, the supply of crucial raw materials is limited: some EU countries depend on other countries for their raw materials. According to Eurostat, the EU imports about half of the raw materials it consumes.
  The total value of trade (imports plus exports) in raw materials between the EU and the rest of the world has nearly tripled since 2002, with exports growing faster than imports. Regardless, the EU still imports more than it exports. In 2021, this resulted in a trade deficit of €35.5 billion. Recycling raw materials mitigates supply risks, such as price volatility, availability, and import dependence.

What does it mean to introduce the circular economy into an olive oil mill?

• Pruning residue management : Olive tree pruning is an essential part of olive grove management. A mature tree removes 10 to 30 kg of twigs and leaves each year, depending on the tree's structure and size. Frantoio D'Orazio shreds the twigs and uses them as soil improvers, or fertilizer.


• Two-and-a-half-phase pomace : pomace consisting of vegetation water, olive wash water, and organic residues destined for biodigesters. Commonly referred to in the industry as pâté , referring to the waste product during processing, it is then used as biomass.


• Pitted olive pomace : This is the dried pomace destined for the pomace mill. It's called this because the olive pits are removed.


• Olive pomace kernels : used to fuel the company's boiler, the excess is sold by the mill as fuel for domestic use.


• The leaves resulting from the defoliation process are shredded and then used as fertilizer by livestock farms.

Is extra virgin olive oil more sustainable than other oils?

• Soil management : The process of tilling, planting, and harvesting annual crops like soybeans or corn removes nutrients from the soil over time and is a cause of topsoil erosion. Regularly cultivated soils require more inputs, such as fertilizer or energy. In contrast, researchers have found that perennial fields naturally contain more nutrients in the soil thanks to the greater diversity of soil microbes. Soil microbes can extract nitrogen from the atmosphere by "fixing" it and promoting nutrient uptake.


• Water management : Permanent crops manage water better than annual crops. Researchers have observed that permanent crops have roots that penetrate deeper into the soil, allowing the crops to absorb more water without irrigation. Furthermore, permanent crops help farmers avoid soil compaction and surface runoff. Olive trees are drought-resistant . They grow best in climates with mild winters and long, hot summers. 70% of the world's olive groves are rain-fed, with no irrigation water.


• Carbon sink/balance : Many crops can help capture carbon from our atmosphere, but permanent crops have the advantage of doing so year-round, unlike tilled crops, which only capture carbon until harvest. Perennial crops have seven times the root mass of annual plants, offering a greater opportunity to capture carbon. Each year, trees sequester carbon in their new growth. As a tree grows, it stores more carbon by retaining it in its accumulated tissues.
  One hectare of olive trees cancels out a person's annual carbon footprint: global olive oil production could absorb the CO2 emissions of a city the size of Hong Kong!


• Biodiversity : Tropical crops, such as palm and coconut, are also permanent crops, but they have significant negative impacts on global biodiversity, affecting at least 193 threatened species. This is because palm and coconut oil are grown in tropical areas with rich biodiversity and many unique species. In contrast, olive groves have been found to promote diversity and provide habitats for enemies of agricultural pests. Unlike annual crops, which tend to be planted in narrow rows, olive cultivation allows for greater ground cover and/or intercropping. This increases the biological diversity of the natural habitat, including for animals, and significantly reduces or eliminates the need for herbicides and insecticides.