30.03.2026

World Recycling Day – what if a single figure could sum up our commitment?

On World Recycling Day, celebrated on 18 March, Ajinomoto Foods Europe – Solutions & Ingredients Division highlights the actions taken at its Nesle site to improve waste management and reduce its environmental impact. Today, 99.7% of the waste generated on site is recovered, meaning that only 0.3% is not recycled. This result is part of a structured and ongoing environmental approach.

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A structured environmental approach for over 15 years

The site has been ISO 14001 certified since 11 January 2007, an international standard that provides a framework for environmental management systems.

This certification reflects a long-term commitment to three priorities:

identifying environmental impacts
controlling risks
reducing the environmental footprint of industrial activities

Responsible waste management is a key focus of this policy.

A co-product recovery chain

As part of its policy, Ajinomoto Foods Europe – Solutions & Ingredients Division has developed a comprehensive chain for recovering its co-products.

This approach includes:

identifying potential outlets,
validating regulatory compliance,
deploying recovery solutions.

Thanks to this organisation, these co-products can be reused as resources in other value chains.

Recycling solutions tailored to each type of waste

The vast majority of waste generated on site is sent to specific recycling channels, including:

recycling
methanisation
composting

These solutions are often implemented at the local level, thereby promoting a regional circular economy.

Some waste requires specific treatment. This is particularly the case for hazardous waste, which is handled by regulated and specialised channels.

Continuous improvement in waste recovery

In order to continuously improve resource management, our teams actively monitor the recovery channels and solutions available on the market.

This approach enables us to identify new opportunities to reduce our environmental impact, optimise waste recovery and improve the management of our resources.

Reducing waste at source

Beyond recycling, the site’s environmental strategy is also based on an essential principle: reducing waste at source. Because the best waste is no waste at all!

Our teams are therefore working to reduce the consumption of products that generate waste, and in particular to reduce and optimise the use of plastics.

Turning waste into resources

On World Recycling Day, Ajinomoto Foods Europe – Solutions & Ingredients Division reaffirms its commitment to turning today’s waste into tomorrow’s resources and continuing its efforts towards a more sustainable industry.

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