This simple yet impactful question makes food manufacturers ponder if their organic waste, which usually ends up in landfills, can be put to better use.

Nearly 40 million tons of food waste makes its way to landfills each year in the U.S., rotting and emitting methane that exacerbates the global climate crisis.

The good news is there is a way to turn this problem on its head—anaerobic digestion. By leveraging anaerobic digesters, organic waste can be combined with cow manure to capture the methane and turn it into renewable energy and valuable by-products. It benefits both food companies and dairy farmers with better food waste and manure management.

Building on this idea, Vanguard Renewables has developed an innovative solution using biodigesters to recycle organic waste into a powerful source of renewable energy and low-carbon fertilizer.

“Despite the apparent benefits, the development and adoption of biodigesters in the U.S. is significantly slower than in the EU,” says Neil H. Smith, CEO at Vanguard Renewables. This presents a huge, untapped opportunity for food manufacturers and dairy farmers in the U.S. to do their bit in solving the climate change issue and rescript the food waste story.

Vanguard Renewables is committed to reducing on-farm and food-generated greenhouse gas emissions from waste by offering a purpose-driven solution that benefits the farm, community, and the planet.

A Trash to Treasure Solution

Working hand-in-hand with dairy farm owners, Vanguard Renewables leverages on-site anaerobic digesters to produce renewable natural gas (RNG) in two ways–farm manure only and food waste combined with manure. While the RNG generated from the manure-only process is supplied to the transportation market, the RNG collected from the food waste and manure combination is sold to large corporates across the U.S.

The manure-only to RNG process is economical on a large-scale dairy farm with 5,000 to 10,000 cows or more, and the latter can be used in smaller farms with 100 to 1,000 cows. In both cases, dairy farmers receive a fee for the manure as well as lease payments for providing the land that hosts the equipment. Vanguard Renewables supplies the capital to build the facility and covers the ongoing operational costs.

The process of converting food waste and manure into value begins with combining the organic waste and cow manure in a dome-shaped anaerobic digester, where it is heated to 104°F and mixed for 30 days. Microbes digest the heated organics and produce methane, which is captured and upgraded into renewable natural gas (RNG).

Anaerobic digestion not only produces RNG, but other valuable end products, such as digestate, a low-carbon, nutrient-rich fertilizer that increases crop yield by 25 to 30 percent, and animal bedding, which is used by the farms. In addition, the long-term contracts provided by Vanguard Renewables offer a new income stream to dairy farmers in an industry where profit margins fluctuate with the change in prices of milk and other farm products.

“Farmers can generate additional revenue from the lease payments and save on livestock bedding and fertilizers through our method. We handle all their manure needs and enable them to take part in a sustainable, circular farming economy,” says Smith.


Collaborating for Long-term Sustainability

To reinforce its purpose of environmental stewardship, Vanguard Renewables collaborated with food corporations like Unilever, Starbucks, and Dairy Farmers of America to found the Farm Powered Strategic Alliance (FPSA) project. Under FPSA, large food manufacturers can leverage Vanguard Renewables’ anaerobic digestion process to repurpose their organic food waste into renewable energy.

FPSA offers a tangible road map with action steps to fulfil sustainability targets and make a real difference in the fight against climate change. The success of this coalition and the promise of Vanguard Renewables’ solution have made the company a preferred and trusted partner for companies working to reduce their carbon footprint.

“Anaerobic digestion enables our corporate partners to narrate a more sustainable waste story to their clients. When they work with us, they realize how much more they can do to achieve their net zero goals,” says Smith.

An Old-School Solution for a Modern-World Problem

Founded with a mission to change the way the world views and disposes of waste, Vanguard Renewables aims to achieve excellence in execution. The company has created a strong work culture around its cardinal purpose—to help American farmers promote a circular farming economy while creating a carbon-negative fuel.

To ensure this belief remains at the core of its operations, Vanguard Renewables hires employees who share the same vision as the company and align with its purpose.

With a game-changing solution and a team of innovators passionate about making the world a better place, Vanguard Renewables has piqued the interest of a leading asset manager, BlackRock Real Assets, which recently acquired the company. This acquisition will enable Vanguard Renewable to continue on its path of exponential growth and add anaerobic digesters across the U.S in the upcoming years.

“BlackRock’s investment in our company is not based on where we are right now, but where we can be in a few years. To draw an ice hockey analogy, they are skating to where the puck is going to be, not where the puck has been—that is the direction we want to continue moving in,” says Smith.

Drawing on his experience in scaling startups into multibillion-dollar global companies, Smith continues to take Vanguard Renewables to new heights in an industry that is yet to reach its maximum potential. The company will continue to work with its partners to help enhance regenerative agriculture practices, solve greenhouse gas emissions challenges, enhance long-term operational and economic benefits, and unlock the pathway to sustainability for generations to come.