Last Christmas, Neste jointly cooperated with the Chemical Industry Federation of Finland and other partners in its Christmas waste ham fat campaign. (Earlier post.) The campaign involved collecting ham roast fats for recycling into fuel, and was a big success. The proceeds from the fuel were donated to charity. The May Day Doughnut Trick continues these charitable efforts in the spirit of the circular economy, this time with doughnut oil fat.

Fazer Bakery and Neste came up with the Doughnut Trick campaign as a way of reminding people in Finland about the potential of the circular economy and recycling. There are many new uses for waste and residues. At the same time, the companies also want to remind home doughnut makers of the correct means of final disposal of waste frying oil. The right destination for domestic waste fat is compost or mixed waste—under no circumstances should it be poured down the drain. A small amount of fat can be absorbed directly into biowaste, but larger amounts should be put into mixed waste. In the latter case, it’s a good idea to dispose of the cooking oil in the bottle it came in, for instance.

May Day is a natural time for cooperation between the two companies, since doughnuts are very popular in Finland at this time of year. As many as 16 million Fazer Omar and Berliinimunkki doughnuts are eaten annually. This is around three doughnuts a year for each person in Finland.

Normally, Fazer’s frying fats are reused as a raw material by the asphalt and soap industries. For its part, Neste already recycles all the fat that is used in the meat industry and other industries in Finland to make renewable diesel. Motorists in Finland can buy Neste MY renewable diesel, which is made 100% from waste and residues, from several gas stations in the capital region. There is also one station in Turku selling it, and one in Tampere. Neste MY renewable diesel can help its users reduce greenhouse gas emissions by up to 90% over the lifecycle of the fuel compared to conventional fossil diesel.