HKFoods and the energy company Wega have signed a partnership agreement to explore possible cooperation at the planned Southwest Finland Biorefinery.
The partners will look in particular at using manure from meat production farms for renewable energy, improving nutrient recycling, and reducing carbon dioxide and methane emissions from primary production.
The partnership supports HKFoods’ sustainability targets. These include reducing nutrient loading into waterways from meat primary production in the Archipelago Sea catchment and cutting greenhouse gas emissions in line with the company’s climate goals. The partnership also aims to promote renewable energy production, enable cost-effective emission reductions in the supply chain and strengthen regional security of supply.
Lasse Pirkkalainen, Chief Strategy Officer at HKFoods, says that using manure as part of a circular economy gives HKFoods a way to reduce the carbon footprint of its meat production and move towards a more sustainable food chain. It could also bring financial benefits to HKFoods’ contract farms and improve their competitiveness. The form of any cooperation will be defined as the biorefinery’s planning progresses over the coming years.
Wega is planning an industrial-scale biorefinery in Oripää, southwest Finland, that would process 600,000 tonnes of feedstock a year, half of it pig manure. The rest would be manure from other livestock, field biomass, crop residues and clean side streams from the food industry.
If built, the biorefinery would produce 200 GWh of liquefied biogas and 160 GWh of e-methane a year for heavy road transport, shipping and industry, as well as organic fertilisers. It would also support sustainable farming and food production and significantly reduce nutrient loading in the Archipelago Sea. The investment decision is planned for 2027, with operations starting in 2029. Wega is looking for cooperation with local farmers, contractors, food companies and other regional operators.
Wega CEO Niko Ristikankare says the partnership shows in practice how food chain operators can work together on climate and Archipelago Sea challenges. The goal is a solution that benefits producers, industry and the environment at the same time.
Potential benefits for meat producers
- Sending manure to the biorefinery reduces methane and carbon dioxide emissions at farm level.
- Farms can save on the cost of transporting manure to remote storage tanks.
- Nutrients in digestate are more soluble, the material is more uniform for spreading, and odour is reduced.
- Recycled fertilisers reduce the need for mineral fertilisers and provide nutrients in a more usable, consistent form.
- Processing manure and adjusting its nutrient levels makes nutrient recycling more efficient and reduces phosphorus runoff into the Archipelago Sea and nearby waters.
- Producing renewable energy to replace fossil fuels supports farms’ own sustainability work.
- Cooperation can improve contract farms’ long-term profitability and strengthen their position in a responsible food chain.
HKFoods’ climate targets
HKFoods has committed to reducing scope 3 FLAG greenhouse gas emissions from meat primary production by 30.3% from 2022 levels by the end of 2030. FLAG emissions come from land use and land-use change in primary production. HKFoods is focusing especially on reducing emissions from feed and land use.
Contacts
Lasse Pirkkalainen
Chief Strategy Officer, HKFoods Plc.
Enquiries via HKFoods Media Service Desk, +358 10 570 5700
communications@hkfoods.com
Niko Ristikankare
CEO, Wega
+358 50 347 2528
niko.ristikankare@wega.fi
About HKFoods: HKFoods is a listed Finnish food company with 110 years of experience and nearly 3,000 employees. Its best-known brands in Finland are HK®, Kariniemen® and Via®. Its turnover in 2025 was about €1 billion.
About Wega: Wega is an independent Finnish energy company founded in 2012. It works across bioenergy, new energy solutions, sustainable supply chains, industrial fuels, shipping and environmental investments, with a focus on sustainable and cost-effective use of energy and natural resources. Wega is known for developing demanding, complex projects.
