Preserve nature

Our value chain involves a significant agricultural supply chain, which can have far-reaching effects on the environment, impacting various natural ecosystems.

Deploying practices to halt deforestation, protect biodiversity, and manage water sustainably can contribute to the preservation of fundamental ecosystem services we collectively depend on, including soil fertility, clean air and water, protection from natural disasters, and recreational and cultural inspiration, and the potential subsequent loss of economic value. Moreover, a healthy natural ecosystem plays a vital role in tackling climate change, with land and oceans absorbing and storing carbon from the atmosphere.

Efforts to reduce our footprint on nature and operate within the boundaries of our planet’s ecological limits can also contribute to tackling environmental inequality, as the negative impacts of changes in climate, biodiversity, and ecosystem functions often disproportionately affect the world’s most impoverished communities.

We are currently working on understanding the interlinks between social outcomes, their impacts, and the role of natural capital in defining risks and opportunities and especially with stakeholder groups in our value chain. In line with our climate justice position, we aim at further strengthening our approach to assess multiple dimensions of impact that our strategies can generate and report them in line with external frameworks such as the Taskforce on Nature-related Financial Disclosures (TNFD) and the EU Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive (CSRD).

Our business activities rely on natural resources and healthy ecosystems. The degradation and loss of natural capital can cause disruptions and increase production costs. The raw materials used in our products rely on fertile soil, strong biodiversity, stable climate conditions, and access to water. As a business with an agricultural supply chain, it is paramount that we contribute to protecting and preserving nature and the ecosystems where we operate. Even small changes to the balance of the natural environment can damage crop productivity, increase production costs linked to remediation and adaptation measures, and negatively impact farmers’ livelihoods, as well as those of communities living in the area.

In manufacturing, responsible resource management is crucial for long-term operational resilience. By implementing water optimization strategies, we protect business continuity during periods of water stress while reducing operational costs. Our facilities employ advanced technologies to measure and minimize environmental impacts, allowing us to proactively achieve waste reduction and prevent ecosystem damage in the areas where we operate. This helps us maintain regulatory compliance and prepare for emerging environmental legislation, while avoiding potential fines and maintaining our social license to operate.

Promoting the efficient use of natural resources and taking steps to protect, preserve, and improve them help manage risks and prepare us to respond to regulation that is norming our performance and disclosures related to ecosystem degradation and the cost of biodiversity loss.

Further, we understand the importance of working to halt the destruction of natural habitats, including avoiding and compensating for losses, in order to guard against potential financial and reputational risk.