Omega-3 supplier GC Rieber VivoMega increases recycling of its side-stream product by 165%

Photo from GC Rieber VivoMega

Omega-3 concentrates supplier GC Rieber VivoMega (Kristiansund, Norway) reports that since 2016, it increased the recycling of its side-stream product by 165%. The company’s starting material is repurposed as side-stream for the fish meal industry, as well as for energy. For the past decade, the company has worked with large fish-meal producers to “improve the quality of something that was once considered ‘waste’ into high-value input for fish oil refining and concentration,” the company said in a press release.

“By design, the production of omega-3 concentrates results in side-streams that historically have been sold and burned as energy,” the company explained. “GC Rieber VivoMega has worked intensively to find additional ways to incorporate these large volumes back into the food chain and reduce and repurpose the amounts sold for energy.”

Since 2016, the percentage of volume the company turns into nutrient-rich feed increased by 165%. Most of the company’s side-stream is sold domestically—and since 2016, the company increased the side-stream sold domestically by 10-fold. Side-stream is shipped directly from the company’s port, reducing the number of diesel trucks used. “This means more of its unused products are being put back into the food chain, all while reducing transport trucks from the roads,” the company stated.

Also, added CEO Jan Roger Bjerkestrand, “Not all side-streams are sold externally. GC Rieber VivoMega is also repurposing the biofuel for internal consumption, reducing the need for external energy sources.” After that, he said, “Any remaining biofuel is then used by our local aquaculture and food production industries.”

The company remains committed to responsible environmental and societal practices, from initial catch to the finished product. “Going forward, the company has a clear goal of shedding additional light on the great work that has been and will be done to provide high-quality omega-3s, all while protecting our environment,” Bjerkestrand said.

He added: “As a significant consumer of crude fish oil, GC Rieber VivoMega must utilize and manage as much as possible of this high-quality oil…Given the nature of our business and the landscape we operate in, it is essential for us to understand and acknowledge our global corporate and social responsibility.”