Energy transition towards renewable energy and energy efficiency
Improving energy efficiency and adopting renewable energy are part of Valio’s Climate Programme. Two key elements are driving this transition: shifting to renewable energy sources and improving energy efficiency at all our production plants.
Renewable energy as a power source for production
We are purposefully reducing our dependence on fossil fuels such as natural gas and oil.
Biofuels: Many of our plants already use domestic biofuels to generate steam and heat.
Electrification: We are replacing combustion-based energy production with industrial-scale heat pumps and electric boilers that utilize emission-free electricity.
Wind power: Valio is committed to sourcing a portion of its electricity needs through long-term wind power agreements. A significant portion of the electricity is certified with wind power guarantees of origin.
During 2025, Valio increased its procurement of renewable electricity; as a result, 84 percent of the electricity the company uses in Finland is emission-free.
Energy efficiency: Doing more with less
The best energy is the energy that isn’t used at all. We are committed to improving our energy efficiency by signing an Energy Efficiency Agreement that extends to 2035 and by setting Science Based Targets (SBTi) for our own operations. We aim to continuously improve energy efficiency.
Waste heat recovery: Production plants generate a significant amount of heat, for example, during product cooling. Modern heat pump systems capture this ‘waste heat’ and use it to heat washing water or buildings.
Did you know that the waste heat generated in production processes could heat thousands of detached houses every year? Valio aims to ensure that an ever-increasing share of this energy is recycled back into production instead of being released into the atmosphere.
Process optimization: We use artificial intelligence and data to optimize production processes so that only the necessary amount of electricity and heat is consumed.
Sustainability as part of investments: New equipment investments at our production plants are assessed from the perspective of energy efficiency.
