Our Sustainability efforts
Polarbröd is rooted in a long tradition of entrepreneurship in Northern Sweden. We make more than just bread. Our goal is to create opportunities to live good and healthy lives, now and for generations to come. We strive to be a sustainability leader. Our goal is to be part of a circular economy that secures the benefits of the modern world without compromising the planet’s ability to sustain us in the long run. We want to offer attractive and healthy products and to be a good (in many senses of the word) part of many people’s lives.
Below you can read the Polarbröd Group’s Sustainability report for 2022. We hope that the report serves as a “reference book” that interested readers can use to learn about global challenges, what they mean for our corporation and how we work towards sustainability.
OUR SUSTAINABILITY GOALS
Our sustainability goals cover a number of important areas.
Energy
We need to go from fossil energy to renewable. To contribute to this transition we started investing in wind power in 2013. We now have five wind turbines in Dalarna, Sweden: Aurora, Borealis, Stella, Polaris and Nova. Together they produce more renewable electricity than the entire Polarbröd Group uses, which is one of our long-term goals. We also work actively to increase energy efficiency in our operations.
Packaging
Our goals for packaging are that it is recyclable and made from renewable raw materials. We have already achieved the first goal – all of our packaging can be recycled. We have even made important progress on the other. Over 90% of our consumer packages are made from plastic produced with ethanol from sugar cane rather than fossil oil.
Transportation
Our goal for transports is that they operate using 100% fossil-free energy. To achieve this, we transport as much as we can by rail, because trains in Sweden are driven by electricity and electricity production in Sweden is almost complete fossil-free. For transports that cannot go by train we rely as much as possible on biofuel. Over time our goal is to move increasingly away from biofuel trucks in favor of electric trucks.
Raw materials
Our most important raw materials are our ingredients. Our long-term goal is to source all of them from agriculture that operates in harmony with regenerative principles, a vision we call Fossil free diversity farming. This is a significant challenge and will take time. Our strategy is to develop long-term relationships with suppliers who share our goals and to work with them to identify steps we can take together. Through one of our collaborations we are able to buy flour that, compared to conventional Swedish flour, has a lower climate impact and benefits for biological diversity.
Social sustainability
We want to be an attractive employer with workplaces that protect and promote both physical and psychological well-being. We strive to create an environment in which all co-workers feel that their work is meaningful and everyone has the opportunity to grow and develop their skills and knowledge. We work to promote equality and diversity. Our goal is that all co-workers are proud to work with us and would recommend us as an employer to friends and acquaintances.