ARTICLE 94 FEED & ADDITIVE MAGAZINE March 2025 “When we examine sustainable practices in animal agriculture, recycling food waste and animal by-products into feed emerges as a particularly promising approach. Rendered animal protein meals aren't just waste utilization—they're nutritionally dense ingredients providing excellent sources of calcium, phosphorus, high-quality protein and essential amino acids that animals require for optimal growth and health.” The global food system faces the challenge of sustainably managing animal by-products while ensuring biosecurity and reducing environmental impact. Rendering provides a viable solution by transforming inedible materials into valuable resources such as protein meals, biofuels, and animal feed. The North American Renderers Association reports that around 31.4 billion pounds of animal byproducts are recycled and reused annually. Globally it has been estimated that 217 million metric tons of raw material are produced annually (Meeker et al., 2020). This process supports the circular economy by repurposing organic materials, reducing greenhouse gas emissions and minimizing landfill waste. HOW RENDERING REDUCES WASTE AND ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT Rendering processes animal by-products using heat and mechanical separation to extract valuable proteins and fats. Research from the past five years has demonstrated significant environmental benefits: • Meeker et al., 2022 reported that rendering in the U.S. and Canada reclaims carbon from 31 million tons of animal byproducts annually. • Xu et al., 2022 demonstrated through life cycle analyses that biodiesel and renewable diesel from rendered fats can achieve 79-86% lower greenhouse gas emissions compared to petroleum diesel. • Giovoni et al., 2023 found that replacing 1116% of energy-rich feed crops with rendered materials could save up to 27.8 million hectares of soil and 137.8 cubic kilometers of water. When we examine sustainable practices in animal agriculture, recycling food waste and animal by-products into feed emerges as a particularly promising approach. Rendered animal protein meals aren't just waste utilization—they're nutritionally dense ingredients providing excellent sources of calcium, phosphorus, high-quality protein and essential amino acids that animals require for optimal growth and health. The inclusion of animal fats in feed formulations serves dual purposes: they deliver concentrated energy while simultaneously enhancing palatability, making feeds more appealing to livestock and thus improving consumption patterns. BEYOND WASTE: HOW RENDERING DRIVES SUSTAINABILITY IN ANIMAL AGRICULTURE Jose Ramirez Technical Director (Americas) Anitox
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