If you have bought something recently to eat or drink, there’s a very good chance JBT technology was involved in some part of the process of delivering that product to you. Given its place in the food and drink world, JBT has become acutely aware of the need to achieve as sustainable solutions as possible; achievements that have been highlighted in its recently-released ESG report.
Building on JBT’s first environmental, social, and governance (ESG) materiality assessment in 2020, the latest report has gathered views from external stakeholders, including customers and investors, and interviewed JBT leaders from across the business.
JBT’s aim, the report states, is to provide customers with solutions to make better use of the world’s precious resources and in the process helping them do business responsibly, wisely and sustainably.
Through automation, electrification and efficiency, JBT can help maximize food yield in a processing facility, conserve water resources and make energy consumption as clean and efficient as possible. By doing this, JBT is engineering solutions today that are moving our world toward a more sustainable tomorrow.
Sustainable innovation
As outlined in the new report, JBT is actively engaging with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), which are aimed at creating a more sustainable future, by creating products that will help customers develop and produce food products that have a lower ecological footprint and require fewer agricultural resources to grow.
In the same vein, JBT has been developing solutions that both conserve and make more efficient use of water, as well as systems that are energy efficient and help customers transition to clean energy sources.
Reducing waste is a key concern for governments and consumers worldwide, and here JBT solutions also have a part to play with JBT Avure® High Pressure Processing (HPP) technology and JBT Proseal® tray sealing systems, which boost shelf-life for a range of products.
At a time when labor costs are high and finding the right workers can be problematic, JBT Automated Guided Vehicle (AGV) systems further provide stand-alone, fully integrated robotic systems for moving materials in manufacturing and warehouse facilities, in the process improving efficiency across many types of businesses.
Positive impact
JBT President and Chief Executive Officer, Brian Deck, described sustainable solutions are being an integral part of JBT’s strategy for profitable growth, highlighting the fact that products with positive environmental impact comprise half the company’s product revenue.
“Many of our customers are making commitments to achieve net zero greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, conserve water and use natural resources more efficiently, and we are engineering the products to help them do so,” he said.
From zero-emissions ground support equipment to packaging solutions that reduce food waste to state-of-the-art bioreactors to make sustainable meat, Deck said JBT products were helping some of the world’s largest companies take meaningful steps toward achieving their environmental goals.
“We expect solutions that enhance safety, automation, efficiency, yield and support the development of innovative foods will be sources of continued growth in the years to come,” he added.