‘Nature is the source of our life and our well-being. Our innovative Müesli creations rely on intact ecosystems and healthy soil. We are committed to giving them the urgent protection they need, so that future generations can also enjoy high-quality, nutritious food. We stand by this promise!’
The bio-familia management team
From eco-energy and climate-friendly packaging, to ‘fair’ hazelnuts and organic raw materials, sustainability has been deeply rooted in our company’s philosophy for many years. But we also know that we aren’t perfect and still have a lot to do. Because we also cause greenhouse gas emissions. We make efforts to reduce harmful emissions caused directly, as well as ones caused indirectly by our raw materials and suppliers. As part of this commitment, we developed short- and long-term climate targets at the end of 2022 based on a climate strategy.
We are participating in the Science Based Targets Initiative (SBTI) to make an important contribution towards achieving the Paris Agreement’s main goal of limiting global warming to 1.5°C. The SBTI reduction targets are binding, science-based and internationally recognised.
By 2030, we will reduce our direct greenhouse gas emissions by 42% compared to 2020. We measure indirect emissions carefully and aim for a reduction of at least 25%. This target covers emissions that are caused both upstream and downstream in the supply chain, such as from raw materials, packaging, production, sales and disposal. The focus is mainly on how our Müesli ingredients or raw materials are grown and processed.
By 2050, we will reduce direct and indirect emissions by 90% in absolute terms. We are working towards the long-term, science-based target of ‘net zero’. This means taking measures to fully offset any emissions that we are not able to reduce directly.
Our approach: we do whatever we can to cut greenhouse gas emissions by as much as possible. We offset any emissions that we can’t reduce ourselves.
We first started measuring our emissions in 2020. That year, we generated 42,000 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents (CO₂e). This corresponds to the total annual emissions of around 3,500 Swiss residents. 1 kg of Müesli has a footprint of 3 kg of CO₂e.
Since 2013, we have been covering all of our company’s energy needs with 100% ‘naturemade star’ eco-energy, produced by the local water power stations in Sachseln and Sarnen. In 2019, we built a 1,000 m2 photovoltaic system, which produces around 125,000 kWh of electricity per year. This corresponds to the total annual energy consumption of around 25 single-family households. Our office building is certified according to the Minergie-A standard, which means it produces more energy than it uses. Cold and heat from the production process are reused, and we also get warm water from solar energy.
When baking our crunchy Müesli, environmentally harmful propane gas is burnt and subsequently escapes into the atmosphere. We measure the release of this gas and are working on an environmentally friendly alternative. We are conducting a large study to find ways to generate process heat with a carbon-neutral energy source instead of propane gas.
We also cause emissions when roasting our nuts in the roasting plant, though we are aiming to reduce these in the foreseeable future. We are currently assessing different ways to heat a new roaster. We are mainly considering green hydrogen and methanol, but also eco-energy.
Organic Müesli has been part of the bio-familia range since the beginning. Despite great efforts being made to improve biodiversity and offer fair working conditions, some of the raw materials used in our Müesli still have a larger footprint than others. It is therefore very important that we measure and reduce these emissions. Harmful greenhouse gas emissions are produced during farming, harvesting, processing, transportation and packing. In the case of grain and fruit, emissions are also caused during drying. With chocolate, the amount of emissions depends on the farming and transportation methods used.
We try to reduce these emissions with specific projects. For example:
More information about our commitment to biodiversity, circular packaging economy and measures to reduce food waste, as well as an overview of our raw material labels, can be found here
We are taking numerous small steps toward our vision of becoming a climate-positive company.
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