Village Farms International, headquartered in Delta, BC, has received funding to conduct a feasibility study for the capture and use of carbon dioxide from landfill gas. The study, to be conducted by Hallbar Consulting, a local sustainability consultancy firm, in partnership with the Swedish Institute of Agricultural & Environmental Engineering, a world-leading applied research and development institute, will look at the feasibility of driving greatest possible value from Vancouver’s landfill gas by capturing and using available carbon dioxide in the Village Farms’ greenhouses in Delta.

This project has received support through the Investment Agriculture Foundation of B.C. as part of adaptation funding provided by Agriculture & Agri-Food Canada. The B.C. Greenhouse Growers Association, B.C. Food Processors Association, and Air Liquide have also provided financial and in-kind supportive services. 

“We are proud to support this ambitious and innovative initiative,” Ken Bates, IAF chair and a crop and dairy producer in Delta, said in a press release. “As farmers we know the value of reducing or re-purposing waste and we congratulate Village Farms as they help create value for B.C. agriculture while enhancing environmental impacts.”

The potential for capturing and using carbon dioxide from Vancouver’s landfill gas would have the long-term benefit of cleaner air for the region and its inhabitants, while helping to position Vancouver as one of the greenest cities in the world. Capturing and utilizing carbon dioxide, often seen as a waste-stream from landfill gas, will be of great benefit to Village Farms and potentially other local greenhouses, as well as food and beverage processing businesses in British Columbia that use carbon dioxide.

“Once again as a company Village Farms has aligned itself to be on the forefront of clean technology," Michael A. DeGiglio, president and chief executive officer for Village Farms, said in the release. "We are pleased to be a part of this initiative with the potential for far reaching positive impacts not only for business but for people and the environment.”

If the results of the feasibility study are positive and the project reaches fruition, local food and beverage processing companies would have the opportunity to purchase locally made, renewable carbon dioxide, thereby reducing their use of fossil fuel-derived carbon dioxide and reducing the importation of carbon dioxide into British Columbia's lower mainland.