Environment

IDF Standing Committee on Environment

Current activities

Support and active participation to new SC on Nutrition and Health lead work on Dairy Nutrition and Environmental Sustainability
Progress of new work on Life Cycle Assessment development Monitoring Group, Water Footprint of Dairy Products, Biodiversity footprint of dairy products
IDF dairy sustainability and IDF LCA website including scientific-technically correct and validated fact sheets on carbon footprint, effluent treatment and removal of salts and other sustainability issues
Conference on Environment for the IDF World Dairy Summit Yokohama (JP) in October-November 2013

Objectives

To consider energy efficiency and GHG emissions quantification and mitigation, including renewable energy generation;
To assess water quality, efficiency and reuse;
To improve waste management and reduction;
To review and adopt/promote best available technologies and practice;
To provide leadership on environmental sustainability issues in close liaison with other IDF Standing Committees and relevant third party organisations.

Document, articles, factsheets...

Factsheet: Salts and the Environment
Salts K, Na and Ca occur either in milk from farms or in the chemicals used to clean the manufacturing plants. These salts end up in wastewater which is then discharged into the environment. This factsheet describes the sources of salts in the dairy industry and their effects on the environment.
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Factsheet: Salts and the Environment (2)
Excessive salts, especially sodium, can have an adverse effect on the environment. If the proportion of sodium to other cations is high when dairy plant wastewater is applied to land, the soil structure risks deterioration. If so, the soil can no longer treat the applied wastewater and becomes water logged.
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