AUSTRALIAN ALMOND
CONFERENCE
How the industry is using the entire almond The Closed Circle Economy
20
TAKING to the stage on the first day of presentations at the Australian Almond Conference was Select Harvests ’ Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer Paul Thompson who spoke about the industry ' s ‘ Closed Circle Economy ’. Mr Thompson , who is also an Almond Board of Australia director , shared Select Harvests ’ mission of “ maximising our resource use and financial return by utilising everything we grow ”. He said changing community values and expectations meant consumers have a desire to know products are grown in a sustainable and environmentally conscious way . Throughout his presentation , Mr Thompson illustrated the ways in which Select Harvests operates in a closed circle economy by using every part of the almond down to using hulls as stockfeed , composting almond waste to return to the orchard and burning almond by-products to run steam turbines to produce energy . He said not only is the closed circle economy method a significant win for sustainability but also a significant win in an economic sense for his company . Mr Thompson outlined the specific co-waste projects being undertaken by Select Harvests and what benefits each method created for the company and the environment . The emphasis on the importance of sustainability , water efficiency and carbon neutrality were major themes throughout the conference with many speakers touching on the industry ’ s push for accountability .
In A Nutshell - Summer 2022 Vol 23 Issue 4
Above : Select Harvests ' commitment to the closed circle economy is ensuring as much of the almond and its by-products as possible are used productively .
Below : Co-waste projects are using almond hulls to generate power , compost and fertiliser .