Ingredients portfolio supports sustainability

AS ALLEGEDLY the first company ever, Chr. Hansen has conducted an extensive analysis to map its entire product portfolio of more than 3,000 products against the UN Global Goals for Sustainable Development. A total of 17 goals have been defined by all UN member states as key goals in the world’s pursuit, towards 2030, to ensure a sustainable future for the planet.

The analysis shows that 81% of Chr. Hansen’s gross revenue contributes to the UN Global Goals nos.  2, 3 and 12 by promoting sustainable agriculture, improving global health and reducing food waste.

“The result makes me proud to work for Chr. Hansen. Sustainability has always been part of the company DNA, but now we can document how we are literally contributing to a better world,” says Annemarie Meisling, Director of sustainability.

The report  “Let’s grow our future. Naturally. How ingredients contribute to the UN Global Goals “ -  was launched on 1 November  2017 at the Sustainable Brands Conference in Copenhagen together with the UN Global Compact Danish Network.  It has been assured by PwC, one of the world’s largest auditing and consulting companies.

Five steps towards a sustainable future

In mapping the product portfolio, Chr. Hansen followed a five-step approach that translates its business impact into impact on the Global Goals.

The five-step approach:

The fact that the majority of Chr. Hansen’s revenue contributes to the UN Global Goals for sustainable development underlines the company’s relevance now and going forward.

Or as CEO Cees de Jong puts it, “Every day Chr. Hansen’s ingredients are consumed by more than 1 billion people worldwide. This reach gives us a unique opportunity to address some of the global challenges and impact the Global Goals with our core products within natural plant health, natural bioprotection for food, and probiotics for animal and human health. This is indeed a meaningful cause to work for and it makes Chr. Hansen a truly relevant company in the world.”

Measuring positive and negative impact

Chr. Hansen’s products are produced using nature’s own resources and we work hard to show the same care and awareness throughout our production. As a global production company, Chr. Hansen is continuously trying to reduce its energy consumption and any negative environmental and social impacts. We report this annually in our sustainability report.