Joining forces for the environment

Climate change is one of the greatest challenges of our time. Working to reduce greenhouse gas emissions is therefore one of our most important tasks when it comes to the environment. Read more here about how we at Orkla take responsibility for the environment and climate.

“We work systematically to lower our energy and water consumption, secure renewable energy and reduce food and other waste in all parts of our operations in 30 countries. Through these actions, we have cut greenhouse gas emissions from our own operations by more than 50 per cent since 2014,” relates Inger Johanne Eikeland, SVP Environment, Health and Safety at Orkla.

Making greener choices easier in everyday living
Sustainable innovation is high on Orkla’s agenda, and we are launching a growing number of plant-based alternatives to meat and a wide range of products with a smaller environmental footprint.

“Many people want to make more environmentally-friendly choices on an everyday basis. That’s why we focus continuously on developing products and services with a competitive environmental profile. As more and more Orkla factories make the transition to renewable energy, the climate impact of our products will be reduced, and a steadily growing number of products will be manufactured using 100 per cent renewable energy,” Eikeland points out.

Self-generated hydropower
“To succeed in our goal of reducing greenhouse gas emissions, we are converting from fossil fuel to energy from renewable sources, and all the electricity we use in Europe is already renewable. At our own hydropower plants, we produce five times as much renewable electricity as we use,” Eikeland explains.

By purchasing guarantees of origin linked to Orkla’s hydropower plants, we ensure that our European offices and factories use renewable electricity. Orkla companies are actively seeking to replace fossil fuel with eco-friendly energy, and several factories are fossil fuel-free. Renewable energy accounted for 39 per cent of the total energy consumption in 2018.

Science-based climate targets
In July 2018, Orkla’s climate targets up to 2025 were approved by the international organisation, the Science Based Targets-initiative (SBTi). Orkla is the second Norwegian company that has won approval for its climate targets from the SBTi.

“Not only do we work to reduce our own emissions, we also take responsibility for the climate impacts generated in our value chain by means of actions targeting the production of the raw materials we use in our products. Our goal is to reduce indirect greenhouse gas emissions by around 30 per cent by 2025,” Inger Johanne Eikeland relates.

Zero deforestation
Production of raw materials accounts for around 95 per cent of Orkla’s indirect greenhouse gas emissions. Preventing deforestation in connection with raw materials production is crucial to preventing greenhouse gas emissions. Orkla has a policy aimed at promoting deforestation-free supply chains, and implements initiatives in partnership with suppliers and certification organisations.

Increasing our climate efforts
“We will strengthen our focus on climate by highlighting new measures designed to accelerate reduction of greenhouse gas emissions. Through the Science Based Target initiative, we aim to establish plans for reducing emissions from activities outside Orkla’s own operations. Besides considering actions targeting our own procurement of raw materials, we will examine how we can be a partner for our suppliers, encourage them to set their own climate targets and follow up on their reduction activities more systematically,” Inger Johanne Eikeland concludes.

• • Orkla has ambitious goals for transitioning to low-carbon operations by focusing on product innovation, investing in renewable energy and reducing energy and water use and waste.
  • Compared with the Norwegian industry average, Orkla’s greenhouse gas emissions are limited, with the biggest impacts arising from production of raw materials and the consumption stage. We are therefore now taking steps at every stage of our value chain to cut emissions in line with what scientists consider necessary to reduce global warming.
  • Orkla has decreased greenhouse gas emissions from its own operations by 54 per cent in the 2014-2018 period, and is already well on its way to meeting its goal of 60 per cent reduction by 2025.
  • Read more about our climate-related work in our Annual and Sustainability Report: https://annualreport2018.orkla.com/assets/orkla/pdfs/2018/en/Sustainability%20Report.pdf
  • Read more about what we do to address climate issues:
    https://www.orkla.com/news/orkla-steps-climate-efforts/
    https://www.orkla.com/news/throw-away-less-use/https://www.orkla.com/news/home-made-not-always-eco-friendly/