Olea Prilis extra virgin olive oil is good for our health and the planet.

Olea Prilis Extra Virgin Olive Oil is good for our health and the planet

Climate change is a fact and recognising the seriousness of this problem with greater responsibility and awareness is a commitment all of us should make. The need to reduce gas emissions and implement systems for “capturing” and storing carbon in the soil is one of the strategies for mitigating climate change.

Olea Prilis is a small family business committed to contributing to the reduction of CO2 emissions in the company’s production cycle. One of its objectives, along with the production of top-quality oil of course, is to achieve an Extra Virgin Olive Oil whose production is completely carbon free – and therefore with zero impact as concerns harmful emissions – at the various stages of production.

One thing that helps to absorb carbon emissions is the olive tree!

Recent scientific studies of the International Olive Council (IOC) reveal the surprising news that out of all trees, olive trees are the ones most able to absorb CO2 emissions. In fact, it has been shown that one hectare of olive grove neutralizes the annual environmental footprint of one human being and that each year world olive production – which is 11.7 million hectares, corresponding to a size equivalent to the entire area of Portugal – absorbs an amount of emissions equal to that of a metropolis of seven million inhabitants. Therefore, if one olive tree is able to absorb 2 kilos of CO2 per day, the hectares of olive trees planted in the world can be one of the great allies in preventing CO2 from damaging the atmosphere and be a valid response to global warming.

According to studies published by the IOC, to produce one litre of olive oil involves the emission of 1.5 kg of CO2 into the atmosphere and, with the adoption of sustainable agronomic practices, the olive grove captures about 11.5 kg of CO2 in the soil, giving a positive balance of 10 kg of CO2 removed from the atmosphere for every single bottle of oil produced.

We are therefore pleased to know that the 4,000 olive trees of Olea Prilis contribute – albeit minimally – to this natural process of reducing emissions.

The calling of Olea Prilis to respect its territory, its biodiversity and the environment in general, makes it a company attentive to all the innovations that are carried out in agriculture in observation of these principles: ecology and environmental sustainability.

The benefits brought by the olive tree and the awareness that growing olive trees can become part of the solution, are for us the main motivation for investing in research and cutting-edge technologies, applying precision agriculture that ensures the lowest possible impact even during the growth of our olive trees. This is to protect our farm and the surrounding environment, as well as to offer our customers a product that is identified with respect, quality and shared and guaranteed values.

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But how does this process work?
The tree lives and grows using natural elements: essentially, it creates the wooden molecules it is composed of thanks to water, the energy of the sun and carbon dioxide (CO2) present in the atmosphere. Through the process of photosynthesis, the tree naturally removes CO2 from the atmosphere, where it accumulates for many different processes, the most important of which is the transformation and consumption of energy (especially of fossil origin: oil) by man.

This capture is positive, since CO2 is removed from the atmosphere where it would otherwise act as a sort of “blanket”, when it accumulates and increases the greenhouse effect and the overheating of the earth’s climate.