Danone Partners on Yogurt Waste Energy Project

Danone has partnered with PurposeEnergy to build a $40 million facility that converts yogurt waste into renewable energy, supporting increased yogurt production.

Danone has partnered with PurposeEnergy on a $40 million facility in Ohio that turns yogurt production waste into renewable biogas. EnergyTech reports that this project processes up to 250,000 gallons of waste daily to reduce natural gas use and lower carbon emissions. ### The Minster Facility PurposeEnergy has commissioned its industrial food waste and wastewater pre-treatment facility in the village of Minster. The $40 million anaerobic digestion facility will offtake the waste residuals from Danone USA’s largest yogurt manufacturing facility and turn it into renewable biogas. AgFunderNews notes the partnership in a roundup of agtech and foodtech news. The roundtrip decarbonization work will take up to 250,000 gallons of Danone waste per day to produce about 50,000 million British thermal units-equivalent of biogas. The fuel then is piped back to a dedicated boiler at Danone’s Minster plant, where it will displace conventional methane natural gas. PurposeEnergy founder and CEO Eric Fitch says that food manufacturers should not have to choose between growing production and meeting their environmental commitments. Fitch adds that anchoring this facility near Danone's Minster plant gives their partner a solution that supports both goals. While the Purpose Energy digester is operational in Minster, the company is still ramping up production levels and plans to hold a grand opening in the spring. If optimally decarbonized, the project could displace the equivalent of about 3,200 U.S. tons of carbon dioxide equivalent per year. Danone produces close to 2.2 million pounds of yogurt daily at the Minster manufacturing plant. Last year, the company announced it was expanding the Minster facility by 48,000 square feet. The Minster lines produce dairy products under the Dannon, Activia, Oikos and Danimals brands. ### Sustainability Goals Earlier this fall, Danone released an updated report on its Impact Journey sustainability goals. These goals include achieving a 30 percent reduction in methane emissions from milk-dairy production by 2030, compared to 2020 statistics. The company also plans to reach net zero methane emissions by the end of 2050. Danone Americas COO Heiko Gerling states that the PurposeEnergy facility is an example of their Danone Impact Journey in action and part of their wider Re-Fuel energy excellence program. Gerling notes the program helps turn organic material from their Minster plant into renewable biogas that can be piped back to the plant and used through a new biogas boiler. Gerling adds that what makes this project especially meaningful is how it brings together industry, local infrastructure, and community stakeholders around a shared goal, calling it a powerful example of how operational growth and environmental stewardship can go hand in hand. The global agrifood industry emits more than 16 billion metric tons of greenhouse gases annually. Close to 10 percent of global greenhouse gas emissions arise from food and organic waste rotting in landfills, according to NHK, the United Nations and other health organizations. The United States currently has close to 2,600 operational biogas capture facilities with the potential for thousands more, according to the American Biogas Council. Some $2.1 billion was invested in the energy potential of food waste in 2025.

Read source: Food Dive