Services
Sustainability for F&B Manufacturing
Sustainability that works in real plants
Most food and beverage manufacturers already have sustainability targets. The challenge is translating those goals into facilities that still have to run, clean, scale, and deliver every day. Real progress happens when energy and water decisions are grounded in how plants actually operate. Our approach integrates sustainability directly into the systems that power your production. We help you:
- Reduce energy, water, and resource consumption
- Minimize waste across processing, packaging, and utilities
- Improve hygienic performance while lowering sanitation costs
- Modernize automation and controls for smarter, more efficient operations
- Build resilient, future‑ready facilities that adapt to market and SKU changes
Sustainability in Food & Beverage Manufacturing
Helping our F&B clients achieve their sustainability goals
Mullins Cheese: Innovation in waste reduction
Mullins Cheese partnered with Salas O’Brien to achieve their goal of reducing cardboard waste in their packaging process. One of Mullins’ flagship products, a 40-lb block of cheese, is a critical staple for food manufacturers and distributors, making efficient and sustainable packaging essential.
Salas O’Brien provided comprehensive robotics programming and engineering services, designing the ancillary cells and equipment needed to support Mullins’ objectives. The solution was tailored to fit within the existing facility footprint, ensuring minimal disruption to ongoing production. This collaborative effort not only reduced cardboard usage but also streamlined logistics for transporting these bulk products, furthering Mullins’ dedication to sustainability while upholding their reputation for producing premium cheeses.
Appalaches Nature: Carbon-neutral maple syrup bottling plant
Appalaches Nature needed to scale up production with a new processing and bottling facility to meet growing demand as sales increased in Europe and the United States.
The facility is equipped with the latest production and bottling technologies and can produce up to 200,000 bottles per day. Salas O’Brien engineered a precise temperature control process for product safety to maintain high-quality standards throughout production. We also developed processes for cleaning, filtering, and circulation controls, three separate packaging line designs, all electrical and controls design, and utilities, including compressed air, cooling water, chiller, and boiler room.
In addition, we designed the facility according to LEED criteria, and the plant is the first carbon-neutral maple syrup bottling facility in Canada.
Labatt Brewing: Reduction of single-use plastics
To keep up with growing demand, Labatt Breweries of Canada wanted to upgrade production capacity and improve sustainability in its Montréal facility. The solution was developed across three phases. In the first phase, our team led equipment selection and integration for a new can line capable of producing 2,000 cans per minute. The second phase included leading process engineering to add flavor injection and expand capability to support new products, and the final phase expanded production lines to include Corona and Stella Artois brands. Despite a global pandemic, we installed the new packaging system on an expedited schedule of eight months versus the typical 12-18 months.
The first of its kind in North America, the system uses mostly recycled fiber paperboard instead of plastic. This sustainable solution reduced Labatt’s overall single-use plastic weight by nearly 335,000 pounds (152,000 kg), which is the approximate equivalent of 117 mid-sized cars.
For manufacturers, sustainability has become about running a better operation. When our clients work with us to optimize energy and water use, integrate heat recovery, or rethink CIP and utility systems, they are not just reducing environmental impact; they’re improving reliability and lowering operating costs. The clients who treat sustainability as a strategy are the ones seeing stronger performance across their lines.Valérie LafrenièreManaging Principal
Energy and water are used continuously in food and beverage manufacturing, in large volumes and at high quality standards. If you don’t understand how those resources are performing, you can’t control cost, efficiency, or sustainability.Rock Voyer, P.EngVice President
One of the most effective ways to improve sustainability is simply asking better questions. Do we really need to keep doing it this way just because it’s how it’s always been done?John Murphy, PEManaging Principal
Strategies like digital twins allow manufacturers to test energy, water, and process decisions virtually before making changes in the plant. Reducing risk, avoiding waste, and making sustainability part of day-to-day operations instead of a side initiative.Khalil Abou-ArrageSenior Vice President
In the three decades I’ve worked in this industry, we’ve never seen this level of risk around power and water availability. That’s why using both wisely is no longer optional. It’s fundamental to keeping plants running and projects moving forward.Mathieu FleuryPrincipal
Sustainability has to be grounded in real economics. When clients look beyond first cost and consider long-term ROI, including energy, water, and waste reduction, sustainable design often makes the strongest business sense. That broader lens is where better decisions happen.Bryan CousinoPrincipal
What we can offer
When facing complex sustainability questions, we work with you to develop the right plan for your company, your project, and your goals.
Contact our F&B teamSustainability consulting services
Salas O’Brien provides a comprehensive range of sustainability consulting services including:
- Building certification consulting services
- Environmental, social, and governance (ESG) consulting
- Environmental impact assessments, permitting, & compliance
- Indoor air quality testing
Decarbonization strategy & implementation
Salas O’Brien’s breadth of expertise forms a 360-degree perspective on decarbonization, from energy-efficient design and renewable energy integration to sustainable operation. We support long-term capital decisions with energy modeling and lifecycle cost analysis of resilient, flexible, high-performing systems that reduce operating costs and enhance the end-user experience.
- Water and energy management program (based on ISO 50001)
- Energy, water, waste water and waste reduction master planning (multi-site)
- Incentives and rebates applications and tracking
Energy, water and waste reduction audit (based on ISO 50002)
Salas O’Brien can provide structured audits to establish a performance baseline, identify inefficiencies, and prioritize practical opportunities to reduce energy use, water consumption, and waste, grounded in how your facilities actually operate.
Measurement and validation plan with certified engineers
Salas O’Brien offers a clear, defensible approach to tracking performance improvements over time to support operational decisions, incentives, and long-term goals.
Energy modeling
Salas O’Brien joins you at the design phase to analyze your project’s energy production or use before it’s designed and built, optimizing energy efficiency. Utilizing your actual production volume and your energy consumption to develop a consumption model, our team calculates the predicted energy performance over time to develop integrated design solutions and cost savings.
Metering and tracking system implementation
Salas O’Brien can design and implement metering and data systems that provide real-time visibility into energy, water, and utility performance so teams can monitor usage, identify issues early, and act with confidence.
- Data Acquisition
- Instruments selection
- Meter map development
- Visual performance dashboard
- Energy and water modeling
Industrial waste reduction
We help food and beverage manufacturers reduce industrial waste by looking closely at how processes actually run. That means identifying where water, chemicals, energy, packaging, and materials are being overused or sent to drain, landfill, or disposal unnecessarily. Through process reviews, audits, and system-level analysis, we uncover practical opportunities to recover, reuse, or eliminate waste. The result is lower operating cost, improved efficiency, and waste reduction strategies that support production, safety, and regulatory requirements at the same time.
Improve and optimize equipment and system efficiencies
Salas O’Brien provides re-commissioning and ongoing commissioning services combined with waste reduction, line efficiency improvements, and best-practice implementation to keep systems aligned with real operating conditions over time.
End-to-end project management
Salas O’Brien provides integrated project delivery from planning through implementation, coordinating engineering, construction, commissioning, and stakeholders to keep projects moving efficiently and aligned with operational goals.
- Engineering, including process, mechanical, electrical, and control disciplines
- Implementation and integration
- Start-up and commissioning
- Efficiency validation using the established M & V plan
- Incentive and rebates tracking through project closure
