Winner of One Benchmark Sustainability Award 2023: Environment
Mathias Dahlberg | Job Role: Technical Manager, Genetics | Location: Norway
Mathias Dahlberg
Mathias has continued to identify environmental improvement opportunities for Salten and has been involved in multiple projects this year which have helped to reduce environmental impact and improve security in our operations.
One project included increasing the size of a sludge tank at Salten and adding smart chips to the tanks to monitor the fill level. This reduced transport emissions because of less frequent disposal trips.
Mattias also took an active role in interacting with local companies, the local community and government on a proposal to dam a local lake which allowed Salten to secure freshwater for the site. Looking forward, Mathias and the Salten team have already identified several areas for improvements which will help us achieve our environmental policy commitments under future ISO 14001 development.
As part of a series of Q&As with our Sustainability Award winners we interviewed Mathias to find out more about his role and how he has been involved with driving sustainability progress within Benchmark:
What do you enjoy most about your work at Benchmark?
I really enjoy learning new skills and processes trough a range of different tasks through different projects. I really enjoy collaborating within a large organisation and with fellow employees in my own department. I also like that there are so many skilled people from different professions and educational backgrounds who I can learn from and collaborate with.
Why is so important in aquaculture to reduce our impact on the environment?
I believe if we are to gain acceptance for growth and continued progress in the aquaculture industry, the environment must be highly considered and we must continue reducing our environmental impact to a minimum. In addition, aquaculture is a very energy-demanding industry, especially when farming on land. Therefore, everything that we can do to mitigate excess power usage and improve processes is important, to reduce both energy costs and environmental impact. We are fortunate to have very good conditions for salmon farming industries here in Norway with favourable water sources and climate. I would like to keep it that way and use environmental resources in a responsible way.
Can you tell us about any areas you will be working in to improve sustainability in 2024?
Improving sustainability is a constant process. My focus this year is to get our small powerplant up and running as quickly as possible. When operational, this powerplant could support up to 10% of our electricity consumption on site. Currently, the powerplant is at the mercy of the weather and conditions of the river determine whether it is able to run. However, with some extra effort, I’m hoping to increase production and keep the powerplant operational as often as the weather allows moving forward. In addition, we have also shifted some of our focus towards a more preventive maintenance solution, in order to try to reduce the frequency of breakdowns and need for part replacements by our technical crew. We have therefore implemented stricter and more frequent checks and services through our maintenance program. In the long term, this should affect sustainability positively by maintaining longer life of equipment.
