ASPIS is one of the pilot partners in the ongoing Plooto European project. ASPIS is one of the largest food and beverage companies in Greece that produces a great variety of fruit juices and similar products. Nowadays, environmental sustainability along with transparency and traceability throughout the production chain is of major concern, with ASPIS being committed to continuously improving its overall sustainability and performance. Therefore, participating in Plooto project has exhibited major advantages for the pilot, and will benefit ASPIS in various ways.
The main challenge that ASPIS was facing was the improvement of environmental performance. The energy reduction during molasses production – which is produced by the valorization of citrus waste – the introduction of a Digital Product Passport (DPP) and of a Sustainability Scorecard have been selected as key factors in order to improve the overall environmental performance of the company. The substantial quantities of energy required during the molasses production poses a great improvement opportunity regarding the environmental impact of the industry.
In order to overcome the aforementioned challenges, ASPIS is closely collaborating with Plooto partners. Indigo team from the Technical University of Crete (TUC) is utilizing their process simulation model to help ASPIS optimize the energy consumption during molasses production. Frontier Innovation is implementing data analytics to help the pilot detect any anomalies in the production of molasses that will guide ASPIS in taking predictive measures in case of anomalies in the production phase. The reduction in energy consumption along with the detection of any possible anomalies and the timely mitigation measures will help ASPIS improve its environmental performance. To quantify this improvement, KPAD will conduct an LCA analysis in the framework of Plooto project. Additionally, a Digital Product Passport, developed by Maggioli, for molasses will be another exploitable asset for ASPIS from Plooto project, and will contain key information about molasses’s lifecycle, enabling enhanced transparency, traceability, and sustainability by providing stakeholders with data on materials, origin, recycling, and environmental impact. Finally, Indigo and Maggioli are working in delivering a Sustainability Balances Scorecard that will monitor ASPIS performance in four main categories (environment, economy and growth, society, and governance).