Orkla operates in many different areas and its businesses impact on the environment to differing degrees. Changes in the structure of the Orkla Group and in the size, composition and factory structure of its business areas in recent years have resulted in major changes in Orkla's total consumption of raw materials and energy, and its emissions. It is important to have ambitious, realistic environmental targets that are adapted to the various businesses. In the same way as for work on corporate responsibility in general, responsibility for the environment is decentralised and rests with the individual companies.
Environmental activities are largely based on the guidelines in the ISO 14000 international environmental management standard, and several Orkla companies are certified according to this standard. National legislation and local requirements shall be complied with, and Orkla companies work hard to meet the growing environmental expectations of employees, customers, consumers and society at large.
In several cities and urban areas, Orkla's factories are major employers generating a high level of activity, which poses many challenges for the local community. The consequences of Orkla's industrial activities include substantial energy consumption and emissions and discharges to the environment, as well as transport activities both inside and outside the factory site. Orkla's focus on continuous improvement entails control and reduced emissions, and improvement activities are based on "the best available technology" and achievable emission and discharge levels.
Emissions to air from Orkla factories are mainly caused by the use of fossil materials for energy production and as raw materials in the electro-chemical production of metals, i.e. emissions of the greenhouse gases SO2 and NOx. Orkla's focus on process improvements and the right choice of raw materials has resulted in a significant reduction in emissions over time. There is also focus on noise and odours from production and transport activities.
Active efforts are also being made to reduce and control discharges to water and sewage systems, and surveillance programmes have been established to monitor and control pollution.
Efforts to reduce and sort waste have had priority for several years, and most factories have invested in waste management centres or sorting systems (containers) to rationalise these efforts.
Orkla Brands companies aim to find the best possible packaging solutions and therefore use a variety of materials to package their products. Work on developing optimum packaging solutions is being intensified. The goal is for packaging to adequately protect the product with the lowest possible use of resources and environmental impact. However, reducing the amount of packaging per product is a challenge because, for marketing reasons, it has become more common to have smaller quantities of product in each package.
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| Orkla companies are making active efforts to reduce and control discharges to water or sewage systems and surveillance programmes have been established to monitor and control pollution. |
It is important for Orkla to take responsibility for limiting environmental impacts throughout the value chain. We therefore carry out life cycle analyses to show the impact of various products and production methods on the environment and the climate.
Orkla analyses its impact on the climate and has plans to introduce further climate measures. The measures that have been implemented so far have resulted in a reduction in total greenhouse gas emissions from Orkla's production plants over time. The climate accounts are based on the international Greenhouse Gas Protocol Initiative (GHG Protocol).