Neste and Hesburger to launch a significant circularity collaboration – used cooking oil collected from more than 300 restaurants to produce renewable diesel

Neste and Hesburger, a Finnish restaurant chain, will engage in a significant circular economy collaboration. Used cooking oil from more than 300 Hesburger restaurants in Finland and in the Baltics will be recycled to produce renewable diesel. As a result of the collaboration, Hesburger will begin using Neste MY Renewable Diesel™ in the majority of its transport vehicles in Finland, reducing the greenhouse gas emissions in these transports by up to 90%* compared to fossil diesel use.

“We reduce our emissions by investing in plant protein products and energy efficiency, and by planning our transports effectively. Recycling and the circular economy have also been important focal points in the development of our activities, and this circular economy collaboration with Neste is a perfect match with our aims. Every year, our restaurants in Finland, Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania produce up to 420 tons of used cooking oil which is collected and transported as ecologically as possible. Neste uses the cooking oil and other renewable waste and residue raw materials to produce renewable diesel to be used also in Hesburger’s trucks. As the used cooking oil is collected by trucks delivering goods to the restaurants, it will not result in extra mileage,” says Heini Santos, Communications Manager at Hesburger.

Hesburger’s transportation vehicles that will begin using Neste’s renewable diesel travel annually a total of roughly 680,000 kilometers. By replacing fossil diesel with Neste’s renewable diesel, the amount of annually reduced greenhouse gas emissions compares to removing as many as 350 private cars from Finland’s roads for one year.

Only 6% of Finns consider climate actions easy outside their own home

In September 2021, Neste and Hesburger conducted a consumer survey on climate actions** of 1,000 people in Finland. A total of 52% of the respondents considered everyday actions related to the climate to be easier in matters related to their own home and living. Outside the home – when moving, traveling or eating at a restaurant, for example – climate actions are considered to be much more difficult. 65% of the respondents felt that companies and consumers share the responsibility for climate actions.

“Concrete actions and close collaborations between companies are needed to combat climate change. This circularity collaboration with Hesburger is a concrete example of how collaboration can improve sustainability. At the same time, our climate action creates value for consumers visiting Hesburger restaurants, as the cooking oil used in making their french fries can be reused as a raw material for renewable diesel to reduce transportation emissions. In this way, we can provide consumers with an opportunity to make more responsible everyday purchasing decisions in Finland and in the Baltic region,” says Heidi Peltonen, Team Lead for Sustainable Partnerships in Marketing & Services at Neste. 

*) The methodology for calculating life cycle emissions and emissions reduction complies with the European Union’s Renewable Energy Directive (2009/28/EC).

**) The survey by Neste and Hesburger was conducted as a national consumer panel through IRO Research Oy’s study between September 21 and 29, 2021. A total of 1,000 Finnish consumers responded to the survey nationwide.

Neste in brief

Neste (NESTE, Nasdaq Helsinki) creates solutions for combating climate change and accelerating a shift to a circular economy. We refine waste, residues and innovative raw materials into renewable fuels and sustainable feedstock for plastics and other materials. We are the world’s leading producer of renewable diesel and sustainable aviation fuel, developing chemical recycling to combat the plastic waste challenge. We aim at helping customers to reduce greenhouse gas emissions with our renewable and circular solutions by at least 20 million tons annually by 2030. As a technologically advanced refiner of high-quality oil products with a commitment to reach carbon-neutral production by 2035, we are also introducing renewable and recycled raw materials such as waste plastic as refinery raw materials. We have consistently been included in the Dow Jones Sustainability Indices and the Global 100 list of the world’s most sustainable companies. In 2020, Neste's revenue stood at EUR 11.8 billion, with 94% of the company’s comparable operating profit coming from renewable products. Read more: neste.com

Hesburger in brief

Burger-In Oy is a Finnish family-owned company, and Hesburger is its registered trademark. Hesburger restaurants can be found in nine countries: Finland, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Russia, Germany, Ukraine, Bulgaria, and Belarus. The chain employs approximately 8,000 people. In 2020, tax-inclusive sales were EUR 217 million in Finland and EUR 107 million internationally. For more information, got to: www.hesburger.com.

Photo credits: Heikki Salonen.