The cooperation between Fazer and WWF to promote sustainable food production continues

Fazer is committed to promoting sustainable food production and continues its long-standing cooperation with WWF Finland. The aim is to take even more broadly into account the impacts of Fazer’s operations on biodiversity and to define actions accordingly. One of Fazer’s focus areas in this field is to increase its plant-based product offering.

Food production has a significant impact on the environment. Fazer has ambitious sustainability targets, and by implementing them, the company is building a more sustainable future.

Climate change, overconsumption of natural resources, changes in land use, and eutrophication of waterbodies are factors posing a threat to biodiversity. The aim of the contract renewal signed with WWF Finland is to help Fazer identify and minimise its impacts on biodiversity.

“We are continuously developing our operations and product range to support the needs of consumers who are making increasingly sustainable choices and the well-being of the environment. As a food experience company, we can contribute by using only sustainably grown and produced raw materials,” says Joséphine Mickwitz, EVP, Head of Communications and Sustainability at Fazer.

Plant-based products can significantly reduce the environmental impacts of food

Fazer is one of the 30 companies and organisations in the “Time to invest in plant-based food is now” statement¹ coordinated by WWF Finland. The aim of the statement is to generate financial growth in Finland and to increase exports through plant-based food.

“For the environment, a plant-based diet is one of the most impactful choices we all can make. Almost half of the products in Fazer’s offering are currently plant-based, and we are committed to increasing the share of plant-based novelties. By innovating and investing in plant-based food we are building the future growth for the food industry,” continues Mickwitz.

Sustainability work means continuous development and improvements

The global environmental crisis, new technologies, and rapidly evolving consumer trends are changing the production and distribution of food, as well as consumer attitudes. Different stakeholders are increasingly demanding ingenuity and agility.

“Together with WWF Finland, we can review our current ways of working, increase our expertise, and find tools for developing our operations and our products,” says Mickwitz.

Through this cooperation, Fazer also wants to encourage its employees, customers, and other stakeholders to adopt more sustainable lifestyles. For example, the Fazer Café chain has decided to switch to using only fish and shellfish which are on the green list of the WWF Sustainable Seafood Guide, by the end of 2023.

“Companies play a key role in preventing the biodiversity loss as, for instance, the environmental impacts of food are very significant. That is why it is great that we can continue our cooperation with Fazer that has committed to investing in plant-based products,” says Annemi Usva-Vänttinen, Corporate Partnership Director at WWF Finland.

Sustainable food production stems from actions and ambitious targets

At Fazer, the sustainability work is steered through four sustainability ambitions: Climate and circularity, Sustainable products and innovations, Sustainable sourcing, and People and well-being.

Fazer is committed to the Science Based Targets Initiative (SBTi), and its climate goals comply with the objectives of the Paris Agreement and aim for limiting global warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius. The company focuses on the use of fossil-free fuels and increasing energy efficiency.

Decreasing food loss is one means for decreasing the food system’s impact on climate and environment. Fazer aims to cut food loss by 50% by 2030. The company utilises raw materials efficiently and refines side streams into reusable ingredients and new products. As an example, Fazer makes xylitol out of oat hulls. Fazer bakeries optimise production quantities even more precisely and encourage consumers to decrease their food waste by making smart and sustainable daily choices.

As a significant buyer of grains and a user of milled grains in the Baltic Sea area, Fazer actively decreases its environmental impacts and has participated in the conservation of the Baltic Sea since 2013. The aim of the Grain Vision farming programme developed by Fazer and carried out in cooperation with contract farmers is that by 2025 all grains used in Fazer’s consumer products in Finland and Sweden will meet Fazer’s ten principles of sustainable farming.

One of Fazer’s most important ingredients is cocoa. The Fazer for Better Cocoa programme ensures that the production methods and supply chain of the cocoa used by Fazer are sustainable. 100% of the cocoa used by Fazer is sourced from verified sustainable sources and third-party verified. Increasing the traceability of cocoa is one of the company’s key objectives.

¹ Kasvipohjaisiin elintarvikkeisiin kannattaa investoida nyt (“Time to invest in plant-based food is now”) statement, in Finnish, published on 1 February 2023

Further information:

Joséphine Mickwitz, EVP, Head of Communications and Sustainability, Fazer Group, josephine.mickwitz@fazer.com, tel. +358 400 784 889

Annemi Usva-Vänttinen, Corporate Partnership Director, WWF Finland, annemi.usva-vanttinen@wwf.fi , tel. +358 50 564 2756

Juuso Lautiainen, Partnership Manager, WWF Finland, juuso.lautiainen@wwf.fi, tel. +358 45 188 4648

Fazer’s media phone line is open Mon–Fri from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m., tel. + 358 40 668 2998, media@fazer.com

Print-ready pictures: https://www.fazergroup.com/media/   – Public Image Bank – Media_Press_Finland – Fazer & WWF Suomi Finland
 

Websites: https://www.fazergroup.com/sustainability/

#Plantbased #VegetablesGetFinlandGrowing #northernmagicmadereal

Fazer Group 

Fazer, The Food Experience Company, enables people to enjoy the best moments of their day. Our mission, Food with a purpose, builds on our strong 130-year heritage, consumer first approach and innovations to create the sustainable food solutions of the future. With our dedicated team of approximately 5,000 professionals, we focus on fast-moving consumer goods and our direct-to-consumer business in Northern Europe, and beyond with exports to some 40 different countries. Fazer’s operations comply with its Code of Conduct that is based on the Group’s values and the UN Global Compact. In 2022, Fazer Group had net sales of 1.1 billion euros.   

Northern Magic. Made Real. 

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