Poet takes on climate challenge in 2021, looks ahead to 2022

A 40 percent increase in biofuel production capacity, an on-site solar farm and a company roadmap to net carbon neutrality highlighted a year focused on sustainability for Poet, the world’s largest biofuel producer.

“Every person, every business has a responsibility to keep moving our world toward sustainability,” Poet Founder and CEO Jeff Broin said. “At Poet, that includes growing our business of producing biofuel and other valuable bioproducts for the world, but it goes beyond that.

“It means creating renewable energy to power our headquarters,” he said. “It means taking a leadership role in broader sustainability efforts in agriculture. And it means being visible, telling the hard truths and gaining advocates for environmental responsibility.”

The biggest news of the year for Poet was the acquisition in June of six bioprocessing facilities in Iowa and Nebraska as well as two terminals in Texas and Georgia that brought the company’s annual production capacity to 3 billion gallons of bioethanol.

In September, Poet released its inaugural sustainability report along with a pledge to achieve net-zero emissions at its bioprocessing facilities by 2050.

Other notable achievements include

•Opening of the company’s second Poet Pure 100 percent plant-based purified alcohol facility at Poet Biorefining – Alexandria in Indiana

•Joining the Decade of Ag movement for sustainable food and ag systems

•Groundbreaking of the Poet Bioproducts Institute at the Research Park at South Dakota State University

•Environmental improvements at Poet facilities, including installation of steam turbine technology at Poet Biorefining – Mitchell (South Dakota) and renewable CO2 capture at Poet Biorefining – Portland (Indiana)

•A partnership with Farmers Business Network to develop and use the Gradable platform at Poet’s 33 facilities, which tracks and records low-carbon-intensity practices by farmers so they can receive a premium for their crops in the future

“At Poet, we believe the sun, the soil, and the seed are the keys to solving the world’s most pressing issues,” said Broin. “Midwestern states will play a major role in moving our world away from fossil-based fuels and products and toward a cleaner, more climate-friendly future. Agriculture, environmentalists and biofuel producers need to work together in 2022 to ensure the success of the bioeconomy. ‘Bio’ is the future, but we can’t get there alone.”