After the Footprint Award in March, Meiko received another award in the area of sustainability. The BioMaster infeed station also won another award, receiving the FCSI Sustainable Catering Equipment Award as the most sustainable solution for handling food waste. Furthermore, the Institute for Management and Economy Research (IMWF) counts Meiko among the "2021 environmental champions" and lists the hygiene expert among "Germany's Best – Sustainability".
The FCSI Sustainable Catering Equipment Award is presented annually by the renowned trade association FCSI (UK & Ireland). The focus is on innovations and special achievements in saving energy, water, CO2 emissions and consumables. The award thus honours products that best meet the requirements of sustainability in practical use. After the Footprint Award, this sustainability trophy also went to the BioMaster infeed station from the Offenburg-based machine manufacturer Meiko. The judges considered the system for collecting and processing food waste to be the "most sustainable solution in waste management".
"The benefits of the BioMaster are plain to calculate," explains the head of planning at Meiko UK, Mick Jary. He accepted the award on 16 September in Warwickshire. "The best balance in terms of sustainability comes from systems that produce no waste, actually benefit the planet and pay off for operators in the long run." The infeed station meets these requirements by processing all common food waste, liquids, kitchen waste quickly and easily. The resulting biomass represents an optimal raw material for later energy production. Even mussels, unmixed waste or fish skins are crushed and transported to storage tanks without refrigeration. The purchase is by no means only profitable for large quantities of leftovers. Small restaurants benefit from the system just as much as large canteens with high throughput, so that sustainable and economical handling is created for all areas of food service. The jury was convinced.
In 2021, Meiko also published a comprehensive sustainability report and set a corporate goal of CO2-neutral production by 2025. This is also reflected in the construction of two new administrative buildings, which were completed last year. In this building, heat pumps are used that are fed with water from a water well. The well water in turn provides passive cooling in summer, while the automatic control system of the building guarantees an optimal energy balance around the clock.
The hygiene expert also invested a six-figure sum in photovoltaic modules on the roofs of the production halls and also supported the construction of the Research and Innovation Center of Energy Technology (RIZ) at Offenburg University of Applied Sciences with a six-figure sum. Added to this is the development of Meiko machines with particularly low consumption values, whose high durability is flanked by 90 percent recyclability. The consistent use of green electricity rounds off the drive towards ever greater sustainability.
This corporate philosophy was also reflected in other awards. The Institute for Management and Economy Research (IMWF) awarded the expert for dishwashing, cleaning and disinfection technology twice for this commitment. In cooperation with the F.A.Z.-Institut, the IMWF awarded Meiko as one of the "2021 environmental champions". Together with Focus Money, the institute also listed Meiko in "Germany's Best – Sustainability".