Minimizing by optimizing
Under this pillar we gather everything we do to reduce our environmental impact globally. Our focus is to use our resources as efficiently as possible throughout our business, by – among other things – reviewing our product offering to replace the biggest sources of emission with alternatives, efficient production methods, improved packaging, and transports, increasing our share of renewable energy, as well as reducing water usage. Our long-term goal is to turn Greenfood CO2 neutral and produce our food on terms with nature.
Reduced climate impact
Our goal is to make as small a climate footprint as possible – within the limits of what the planet can withstand. Our aim is to reduce CO2e emissions per kg of food sold from an already low 0.53 to 0.26 CO2e per kg of food by 2030, using 2021 as the base year. A tough target indeed. Tackling the climate crisis requires tough measures and ambitious climate goals from all businesses, at all levels and in all business sectors.
Greenfood has joined the Science Based Targets Initiative to strengthen our sustainability work further, clarify the journey towards a more sustainable business, and has set climate goals in line with what science says is needed to reach the 1.5-degree goal. As part of setting scientifically established goals, we are reviewing not only our own operation, but expanding the scope to reduce emissions throughout our entire value chain.
This work has meant a continuous review of our product offer to increase the number of plant-based products. For example, we have removed all red meat from our salad bars, and we have conceptualized our Ahlgood product offering to make it easy for our clients to choose vegetarian alternatives.
We have centralized our production to reduce transports, and we cooperate closely with all our suppliers to push them to focus on reducing their emissions.
Additionally, we have invested in solar parks, and we are underway, building our biggest solar park on our state-of-the-art food facility, Greenhouse in Helsingborg.
Based on ongoing analysis, further actions will be taken, which will have impact within the entire value chain.
Biodiversity
The diversity of life on earth has decreased drastically since the 1970s and the overall biodiversity is threatened. Global food production has a major impact on biodiversity, but we believe that we can play an important part in reducing this negative impact. Plant-based food requires significantly less agricultural land than meat and dairy products, providing more space for natural areas. Our product range is 95% plant-based, which means that a functioning ecosystem is crucial for us in order to be able to satisfy our consumers’ demand for good, healthy and sustainable food. The importance of biodiversity for our business has made it an important focus area and a priority for us.
Among our initiatives to support biodiversity is our focus on plant-based products.
In addition, we are adapting our food production practices, requiring of all products to have been grown using only pesticides that meet EU requirements, no matter where they are grown. We have also initiated a food certification evaluation to determine certifications and databases available for biodiversity
At our main office, Greenhouse in Helsingborg, we have focused on protecting and restoring natural habitats by planting flora that matches the nearby Bruce’s Forest nature reserve, thus providing a habitat for pollinating insects.
Packaging
On one hand, packaging can extend product shelf life and cut food waste, on the other, it can sometimes impact the environment negatively. At Greenfood, we are constantly trying to find the model that has the smallest impact. This includes reducing the number of cutleries amount of packaging or switching to material with less climate impact.
Approximately 99% of our own branded packaging is made from recyclable material, and we have managed to reduce plastics by – for example – removing the knife from the salad cutlery as well as the single-serve dressing packaging, and by switching to plastic-free lids. When possible, we have replaced fossil-based plastic with renewable raw material such as fiber materials.
Additional initiatives are underway to further reduce the amount of plastic, packaging material, and switching to recycled or renewable raw materials, and by making the packaging recyclable.
For our work with the new paper-based salad lid, we’ve received the Penta award for sustainability design. The estimated savings here are approximately 120 tons of plastic per year.
In the EU we have worked to establish a reusable salad bowl for Picadeli, but as different countries interpret the legislation differently, we have been forced to adapt and use different solutions. We aim for a functional solution for our clients and consumers, which have as little negative impact on the environment as possible.
Water
Water is an extremely important raw material throughout our value chain, especially in the supply chain where water consumption is used in cultivation. Food production accounts for about 70% of global water use. In our own operations, it is the production facilities that both consume and discharge the most water. Quality, safe handling of raw materials and preparation are closely linked to the issue of water. Water is important for washing raw materials, but it is also used to prepare products – to cook pasta for example.
To conserve resources, a number of initiatives are presently guiding our work with water management, chief among them the 2022 adoption of the WWF Water Stewardship approach for our own water management as well as in our supply chain.
This means that we measure and monitor water consumption and invest indigital tools to follow the path of water to see where excess water is going.We’ve also redesigned wash tubs in the production line to recirculate morewater and reduce the amount of added water.
In our supply chain, we’ve started to use a water stress index to evaluate water scarcity in the entire value chain. The majority of our suppliers are certified with Global GAP certifications and several of them are working towards the additional sustainable water management certification SPRING as an add-on to Global Gap.
