Wham bam thank you ham: Neste produces renewable diesel from waste fat

Renewable diesel company Neste has produced 10,000 litres of renewable diesel from waste produced from ham fat.

It took the waste fat from 40,000 Finnish households last Christmas. The households donated the waste fat from their Christmas hams to the charity campaign "Kinkkutemppu" which literally translates into Ham Trick.

In a statement, Neste said it donates the value of the product to Hope, an association which helps low-income families, and to Icehearts, a sports club which aims to prevent social exclusion and promote well-being.

Osmo Kammonen, senior VP of communications and brand marketing at Neste, said: “Altogether, we received 12,000 kg of waste ham fat, producing enough renewable diesel to travel four times around the globe.

“This is a huge figure. It is an indication of the interest of Finnish people towards this campaign and the circular economy in general. The campaign is a good example of how waste and residues can be utilized in energy production and as a raw material for renewable fuels. Neste refines waste fat using the same NEXBTL technology, with which it has become the world's leading producer of renewable diesel.”

"This campaign involved a number of different parties whose cooperation was excellent. We all found this campaign to be meaningful, and we worked hard for its success. I wish to thank all of our partners and everyone who donated their waste ham fat and took this campaign to their hearts. The future lies in the circular economy.”

Lucky escape

The idea for the campaign started from the Chemical Industry Federation of Finland and attracted a number of companies and associations. Fat recycling containers were placed all over Finland, mainly at recycling points of Finnish Packaging Recycling RINKI located in conjunction with selected K-food stores.

Lassila & Tikanoja then transported the fat to Honkajoki Oy for treatment. Neste uses the collected ham fat to produce Neste MY Renewable Diesel at its Porvoo refinery. The Finnish Water Utilities Association took part in the campaign reminding us not to pour ham fat down the drain. The task of the Rural Women's Advisory Organisation was to communicate to households the possibility of recycling ham fat.

Compared to conventional fossil diesel, Neste MY Renewable Diesel has up to 90% lower greenhouse gas emissions during the life cycle of the fuel. 

The campaign in figures:

• Volume of donated fat: 12,000 kg
• Number of donations made: 40,000
• Volume of renewable diesel manufactured: 10,000 l
• The number of times it is possible to travel around the globe using this fuel: 4 (average consumption 6 l/100 km)
• Amount donated to charity: €14,500

 This story was written by Liz Gyekye, editor of Biofuels Intertional.