Climate Change Data

Arla Foods

Climate Impact & Sustainability Data (2011, 2014, 2015, 2017, 2018, 2020, 2021, 2022, 2023, 2024)

Reporting Period: 2011

Environmental Metrics

Total Carbon Emissions:1,403 kt CO2-e

ESG Focus Areas

  • Environment
  • Social
  • Governance

Environmental Achievements

  • Achieved zero waste to landfill before the end of 2011 at all UK sites.
  • Made progress on several fronts, including heat reuse from the cooling water system at Hobro Dairy in Denmark, resulting in an approximate 10% reduction in greenhouse gas emissions.
  • 20% savings on water consumption in Denmark Protein, mainly due to increased water recycling.

Social Achievements

  • Improved image and increased recognition of the Arla brand in Denmark.
  • Launched the Sustainability on farm programme.

Governance Achievements

  • Reviewed responsibilities, duties, tasks, and organization of the Arla Board.
  • Introduced a new model for handling the milk price paid to the owners.
  • Strengthened both internal and external reporting.

Climate Goals & Targets

Long-term Goals:
  • Half of energy consumption will come from renewable sources by 2020.
Medium-term Goals:
  • Achieve a revenue of 75 billion DKK by 2015.
  • Double revenue from whey and ingredients activities before 2015.
  • Reduce CO2 emissions by 25% within production, transportation, and packaging before 2020 (from 2005 levels).
Short-term Goals:
  • Sustainably reducing the cost base further by at least 500 million DKK within 18 months.

Environmental Challenges

  • Declining dairy commodity prices.
  • Increased competition from suppliers in countries such as New Zealand, Australia, Argentina, and Brazil.
  • Increased price sensitivity among consumers in Europe and the US.
  • Weak economic outlook in the UK.
  • New Danish tax on fat products.
  • Economic crisis in Western world leading to slower growth.
Mitigation Strategies
  • Investing heavily in innovation to find answers to the global nutrition challenge.
  • Conducting research to ensure continued product innovation and development of raw milk as a resource.
  • Focusing on streamlining the supply chain to reduce costs and increase efficiency.
  • Implementing Lean production techniques.
  • Actively pursuing mergers and acquisitions and consolidation opportunities.
  • Developing a Post-Merger Integration (PMI) model.

Supply Chain Management

Responsible Procurement
  • Code of Conduct for Suppliers

Climate-Related Risks & Opportunities

Reporting Standards

Frameworks Used: UN Global Compact

Certifications: ISO 22000

Awards & Recognition

  • Best supplier of the year 2011 by Danish retailers

Reporting Period: 2014

Environmental Metrics

Total Carbon Emissions:Not disclosed
Scope 1 Emissions:Not disclosed
Scope 2 Emissions:Not disclosed
Scope 3 Emissions:Not disclosed
Renewable Energy Share:Not disclosed
Total Energy Consumption:2.6 TWh (2014)
Water Consumption:Not disclosed
Waste Generated:Not disclosed
Carbon Intensity:Not disclosed

ESG Focus Areas

  • Responsible company
  • Confidence in products
  • Care for the environment and animal welfare
  • Respectful relations

Environmental Achievements

  • Reduced total climate impact by 12% compared to 2005 levels despite increased production
  • Reduced water consumption by 44% at Holstebro Flødeost since 2009
  • Increased renewable energy share in some Swedish sites to over 90%
  • Reduced waste going to landfill by 82% at Concord, Canada plant
  • 84% renewable material in milk carton caps in Sweden (4.5% increase)

Social Achievements

  • Launched a global health strategy focusing on stimulating healthy diets, simplifying choices, inspiring good food habits, and accommodating specific needs
  • Improved consumer views of Arla across core markets
  • Implemented Arlagården® quality program in all owner countries except UK (to be introduced in 2015)
  • More than 95% of affected colleagues found alternative employment after Ashby dairy closure
  • 80 of former Falkenberg dairy colleagues reapplied for jobs at new facility

Governance Achievements

  • Established a CSR committee with the CEO as chairman
  • Developed a mandatory e-learning training module on Arla’s Code of Conduct (available in four languages)
  • Updated anti-bribery policy
  • Expanded whistleblowing function to more countries
  • Implemented a new payment model for milk, providing equal pay for equal milk across all owner countries by 2018

Climate Goals & Targets

Long-term Goals:
  • Not disclosed
Medium-term Goals:
  • Reduce the carbon footprint across all Arla farms by 30% before 2020 (compared to 1990 levels)
Short-term Goals:
  • Reduce greenhouse gas emissions from operations, transportation, and packaging by 25% by 2020 (compared to 2005 levels)
  • Reduce water and energy consumption by 3% annually until 2020
  • Achieve 50% renewable energy by 2020
  • Reduce food waste from production and final dairy products by 50% by 2020 (compared to 2008 levels)

Environmental Challenges

  • Volatile milk price due to increased global milk supply and reduced demand from China and Russia
  • Relocation of production lines impacting employees and the environment
  • Balancing efficiency goals with concern for colleagues during restructuring
  • Ensuring compliance of purchases from preferred suppliers
  • Maintaining high standards in new and developing markets
Mitigation Strategies
  • Implemented a long-term savings program
  • Developed specific plans to mitigate negative effects of production line relocations, including outplacement support
  • Implemented a new IT system for sourcing, contract management, and supplier performance management
  • Revised supplier audit setup with increased focus on social responsibility, environment, health, and safety
  • Applied three key criteria when doing business in growth regions: never compromise food safety, always have a positive overall impact, and always be a long-term business opportunity

Supply Chain Management

Supplier Audits: Approximately 40 audits globally in 2014

Responsible Procurement
  • Code of conduct for suppliers
  • Total Cost of Ownership (TCO) process
  • Focus on preferred suppliers
  • Sharpened requirements on palm oil suppliers

Climate-Related Risks & Opportunities

Physical Risks
  • Not disclosed
Transition Risks
  • Not disclosed
Opportunities
  • Not disclosed

Reporting Standards

Frameworks Used: GRI

Certifications: ISO 9001, ISO 22000, BRC, IFS, SQF, FSSC 22000

Third-party Assurance: Not disclosed

UN Sustainable Development Goals

  • Not disclosed

Not disclosed

Sustainable Products & Innovation

  • Lactose-free products
  • Products with reduced salt, sugar, and fat content
  • High-protein products

Awards & Recognition

  • Not disclosed

Reporting Period: 2015

Environmental Metrics

Total Carbon Emissions:Not disclosed
Scope 1 Emissions:Not disclosed
Scope 2 Emissions:Not disclosed
Scope 3 Emissions:Not disclosed
Renewable Energy Share:Not disclosed
Total Energy Consumption:Not disclosed
Water Consumption:Not disclosed
Waste Generated:Not disclosed
Carbon Intensity:Not disclosed

ESG Focus Areas

  • Responsible company
  • Confidence in products
  • Care for the environment and animal welfare
  • Responsible relations

Environmental Achievements

  • Continuously reduce greenhouse gas emissions across the entire value chain
  • Improve resource efficiency for water, energy and materials
  • Avoid and/or reduce waste from operations by maximizing reuse, recycling and recovery of materials

Social Achievements

  • Provide safe and healthy working conditions
  • Invest in employee personal and professional development
  • Contribute positively to sustainable development in the communities in which we operate

Governance Achievements

  • Committed to complying with applicable laws, rules and regulations
  • Zero fraud and bribery tolerance
  • Ensure transparency in business conduct

Climate Goals & Targets

Long-term Goals:
  • Not disclosed
Medium-term Goals:
  • Not disclosed
Short-term Goals:
  • Not disclosed

Environmental Challenges

  • Not disclosed
Mitigation Strategies
  • Not disclosed

Supply Chain Management

Supplier Audits: Not disclosed

Responsible Procurement
  • Expect suppliers to comply with Code of Conduct, including environmental, social and human rights aspects

Climate-Related Risks & Opportunities

Physical Risks
  • Not disclosed
Transition Risks
  • Not disclosed
Opportunities
  • Not disclosed

Reporting Standards

Frameworks Used: UN Global Compact, UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights, OECD Guidelines for Multinational Enterprises

Certifications: Null

Third-party Assurance: Not disclosed

UN Sustainable Development Goals

  • Not disclosed

Not disclosed

Sustainable Products & Innovation

  • Not disclosed

Awards & Recognition

  • Not disclosed

Reporting Period: 2017

Environmental Metrics

Total Carbon Emissions:Not disclosed
Scope 1 Emissions:Not disclosed
Scope 2 Emissions:Not disclosed
Scope 3 Emissions:Not disclosed
Renewable Energy Share:24%
Total Energy Consumption:Not disclosed
Water Consumption:Not disclosed
Waste Generated:Not disclosed
Carbon Intensity:Not disclosed

ESG Focus Areas

  • Health
  • Inspiration
  • Natural
  • Sustainable Dairy Farming
  • Environmental Sustainability
  • Human Rights
  • Food Safety

Environmental Achievements

  • Reduced total climate impact by 18% since 2005 despite increased production.
  • Increased use of biogas at dairies by 80% compared to 2016.
  • Reduced water consumption by 700,000 m³ in collaboration with suppliers.
  • Reduced waste to landfill by 77%.

Social Achievements

  • Introduced Arlagården® Plus for increased transparency in animal welfare and sustainable production (75% of farmer owners signed up).
  • More than 480,000 consumers visited farms through Open Farm events.
  • 93% of Arla® branded products fulfill Nutrition Criteria.
  • Launched initiatives to improve nutrition in Bangladesh and Ethiopia.
  • Published first corporate marketing policy on responsible food marketing.
  • Improved management of product quality incidents.

Governance Achievements

  • Strengthened commitment to respect human rights in all business areas and processes.
  • Published a Modern Slavery statement.
  • Aligned tools and processes for human rights assessment of business partners and suppliers.
  • Introduced a common milk quality model in all member countries.

Climate Goals & Targets

Long-term Goals:
  • Reduce greenhouse gas emissions from farms by 30% per kilo milk by 2020 (compared to 1990).
Medium-term Goals:
  • Reduce greenhouse gas emissions from operations, packaging and transport by 25% by 2020 (compared to 2005).
  • Achieve 50% renewable energy by 2020.
  • Reduce energy and water consumption by 3% annually towards 2020.
Short-term Goals:
  • Increase products complying with Arla® Nutrition Criteria by 1%.

Environmental Challenges

  • Reducing the climate impact of transportation.
  • Maintaining refrigerated supply chains in emerging markets.
  • Balancing taste, affordability, and shelf-life when reformulating products.
  • Addressing food waste in production and at consumer level.
  • Ensuring sustainable sourcing of ingredients (palm oil, cocoa, soy).
  • Negative human rights impacts in emerging markets.
Mitigation Strategies
  • Investing in larger milk collecting tankers and eco-driving training.
  • Developing long-life yogurt that doesn't require refrigeration.
  • Using ingredients complementing dairy nutrients and optimizing processing/packaging.
  • Donating surplus products to food banks.
  • Conducting supplier audits and implementing a code of conduct.
  • Conducting human rights due diligences and collaborating with NGOs and government bodies.

Supply Chain Management

Supplier Audits: 63 audits globally in 2017

Responsible Procurement
  • Code of conduct for suppliers
  • Supplier assurance team
  • Monitoring programs for raw material safety and quality.

Climate-Related Risks & Opportunities

Physical Risks
  • Not disclosed
Transition Risks
  • Not disclosed
Opportunities
  • Not disclosed

Reporting Standards

Frameworks Used: GRI

Certifications: GFSI

Third-party Assurance: Not disclosed

UN Sustainable Development Goals

  • 2
  • 8
  • 12
  • 3
  • 5
  • 6
  • 7
  • 13
  • 15
  • 17

Arla's activities positively impact several SDGs through sustainable production, job creation, responsible sourcing, and providing healthy and affordable dairy products.

Sustainable Products & Innovation

  • Long-life yogurt
  • New packaging innovations reducing climate impact

Awards & Recognition

  • Not disclosed

Reporting Period: 2018

Environmental Metrics

ESG Focus Areas

  • Sustainability
  • Climate Change
  • Animal Welfare
  • Diversity and Inclusion
  • Human Rights

Environmental Achievements

  • Reduced farm level emissions by 24% per kg of milk compared to 1990.
  • Launched Arla® Øko (Eco) milk carton, reducing climate impact by 358 tonnes of CO2 annually.
  • Reduced emissions by 35% since 2014 compared to the production of the traditional milk carton.

Social Achievements

  • Launched Arla &More range of healthy products.
  • Relaunched Dano as Dano Power in Bangladesh, generating over 18 million digital engagements and 8% revenue growth.
  • Sommarmjölk® initiative in Sweden, compensating farmers for extra summer grazing time for cattle, with three out of four conventional Arla farmers participating.
  • Reduced product recalls by 80% in 2018.
  • Arla Sweden began labelling fresh dairy products ‘Best before, often good after’ to reduce food waste.

Governance Achievements

  • Transformed structure to become ONE Arla with direct membership for all owners.
  • Improved delivery services with key accounts across Europe.
  • Increased digital engagement for Arla® brands by 90% compared to 2017.

Climate Goals & Targets

Long-term Goals:
  • Reduce greenhouse gas emissions from farms by 30% per kilo of milk by 2020.

Environmental Challenges

  • Declining milk and commodity prices.
  • Uncertainty from Brexit negotiations.
  • Significant shifts in fat and protein prices.
  • Weak GBP and unfavourable fat and protein prices.
  • Challenges in bulk business in Nigeria.
  • Delays in authority approvals in China.
  • Changes in Chinese infant formula regulations.
  • Declining dairy consumption trends in Europe.
Mitigation Strategies
  • Strong focus on price and margin management.
  • Introduction of Calcium transformation programme.
  • Substantial cost reductions.
  • Relentless focus on growing strategic brands.
  • Acquisition of Yeo Valley organic brand.
  • Planned acquisition of Mondeléz’ Kraft-branded processed cheese business in MENA.
  • 21-year license agreement with StarbucksTM.
  • Enhanced price performance management.
  • Increased hedging of GBP exposure.
  • Ambitious strategy to accelerate the transition to sustainable dairy.

Supply Chain Management

Climate-Related Risks & Opportunities

Sustainable Products & Innovation

  • Arla® Øko (Eco) milk carton
  • Arla Bio yoghurt

Awards & Recognition

  • Over 50 marketing awards for Arla® brand
  • 4 Effie marketing awards for Puck® brand
  • Arla® Skyr Fruit & Oats voted Product of the Year in the UK

Reporting Period: 2020

Environmental Metrics

Total Carbon Emissions:19,230 mkg CO₂e
Scope 1 Emissions:474 mkg CO₂e
Scope 2 Emissions:237 mkg CO₂e (location-based), 277 mkg CO₂e (market-based)
Scope 3 Emissions:18,479 mkg CO₂e
Renewable Energy Share:35% (location-based), 31% (market-based)
Waste Generated:1,204 tons

ESG Focus Areas

  • Climate Change
  • Biodiversity
  • Dyrevelfærd (Animal Welfare)
  • Human Rights
  • Responsible Sourcing
  • Food Safety
  • Nutrition
  • Employee Well-being
  • Governance

Environmental Achievements

  • Achieved CO₂e-neutral fresh milk dairies and four distribution terminals in Denmark.
  • Reduced greenhouse gas emissions from Danish dairies by 84% or 26,000 tons CO₂e annually through renewable energy.
  • Implemented Climate Check on 8,126 farms (93% of farmers, 96% of milk volume).
  • Launched new packaging initiatives reducing climate footprint (e.g., removing plastic lids from organic milk cartons).

Social Achievements

  • Reached 75 million low-income consumers with affordable products in Nigeria and Bangladesh.
  • Implemented updated Arlagården® quality assurance program, including quarterly animal welfare reporting.
  • Launched Arla Deals, a digital platform for discounted short-shelf-life products.
  • Increased products meeting Arla’s nutritional criteria by over 15,000 tons.

Governance Achievements

  • Developed comprehensive manual for competition law compliance.
  • Strengthened internal controls and monitoring activities to ensure Code of Conduct compliance.
  • Improved management structure for reporting critical human rights risks.

Climate Goals & Targets

Long-term Goals:
  • Achieve net-zero emissions by 2050.
Medium-term Goals:
  • Reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 30% for Scope 1 & 2 and 30% per kg milk & whey for Scope 3 by 2030.
  • Increase products meeting Arla’s nutritional criteria by 60,000 tons by 2025.
Short-term Goals:
  • Increase recyclable packaging to 100% by 2025.
  • Reduce water consumption (specific target not provided).

Environmental Challenges

  • COVID-19 pandemic impacting operations and stakeholder focus.
  • Economic effects of COVID-19 disproportionately affecting vulnerable populations.
  • Availability and price of renewable fuels.
  • Challenges in communicating CO₂e-neutrality to consumers.
  • Limited availability of segregated certified soy and palm oil.
  • Data limitations in measuring biodiversity and water consumption on farms.
Mitigation Strategies
  • Relied on cooperative democracy to address crisis effects.
  • Continued investments in sustainable local dairy sectors in Nigeria, Bangladesh, and Indonesia.
  • Introduced new initiatives on farms, operations, packaging, and logistics.
  • Implemented online versions of Climate Check and training sessions.
  • Developed alternative sourcing strategies for palm oil and soy.
  • Improved communication on CO₂e-neutral products.
  • Used RTRS and RSPO credits to promote sustainable production.
  • Planning to introduce biodiversity assessments on farms in 2021.

Supply Chain Management

Supplier Audits: 71 audits (physical, virtual, and desk audits)

Responsible Procurement
  • Code of Conduct for Suppliers
  • Sourcing standards for soy, palm oil, and cocoa.

Climate-Related Risks & Opportunities

Physical Risks
  • Climate change impacts on supply chain
Transition Risks
  • Regulatory changes, market shifts
Opportunities
  • Development of energy-efficient products

Reporting Standards

Frameworks Used: GRI, SBTi, UN Global Compact

Third-party Assurance: EY (limited assurance for Scope 3 farm emissions)

UN Sustainable Development Goals

  • Goal 2: Zero Hunger
  • Goal 7: Affordable and Clean Energy
  • Goal 8: Decent Work and Economic Growth
  • Goal 12: Responsible Consumption and Production
  • Goal 13: Climate Action
  • Goal 15: Life on Land

Initiatives contributing to these goals are described throughout the report.

Sustainable Products & Innovation

  • CO₂e-neutral organic dairy products
  • Plant-based oat drinks (JÖRĐ brand)

Reporting Period: 2021

Environmental Metrics

Carbon Intensity:1.15 kg CO2e per kilo of milk

ESG Focus Areas

  • Climate Change
  • Sustainable Supply Chain

Environmental Achievements

  • Reduced climate impact for scope 1 and 2 by 25 per cent from a 2015 baseline year.
  • Received approval from the Science Based Target Initiative for its new emissions reductions target of 63 per cent by 2030 for scope 1 and 2.

Social Achievements

  • Increased supplementary payments to farmer owners to 1.5 eurocent per kilo of milk.
  • Maintained a competitive pre-paid milk price that increased by 23% throughout the year to support farmer owners challenged by rising costs.

Governance Achievements

  • Board of Representatives approved a new retainment policy to support investment levels required by Arla and its farmer owners.

Climate Goals & Targets

Medium-term Goals:
  • Reduce emissions by 63% by 2030 (Scope 1 & 2)

Environmental Challenges

  • Continued disruptions from the pandemic.
  • Renewed market volatility created by high inflation.
  • Rising costs and additional requirements on farms.
  • Significant increases in raw material and energy prices challenging margins.
Mitigation Strategies
  • Strong operational execution to navigate global challenges.
  • Strengthened financial position.
  • Grew brands while delivering savings across the supply chain.
  • Calcium transformation and cost savings programme delivered EUR 287 million in net savings (EUR 634 million excluding inflation).

Supply Chain Management

Climate-Related Risks & Opportunities

Reporting Standards

Frameworks Used: Science Based Target initiative (SBTi)

Reporting Period: 2022

Environmental Metrics

Total Carbon Emissions:19,102,000 tCO2e/year
Scope 1 Emissions:477,000 tCO2e/year
Scope 2 Emissions:218,000 tCO2e/year
Scope 3 Emissions:18,407,000 tCO2e/year
Renewable Energy Share:61% of total energy use in EU
Water Consumption:18,764,000 m3/year
Waste Generated:31,450 tons/year

ESG Focus Areas

  • Climate Change
  • Sustainable Dairy Farming
  • Biodiversity
  • Health and Nutrition
  • Diversity and Inclusion
  • Employee Well-being
  • Human Rights
  • Responsible Sourcing
  • Governance

Environmental Achievements

  • Reduced CO2e emissions from owner milk to 1.12 kg/kg milk from 1.15 kg/kg milk in 2021.
  • Reduced scope 3 emissions by 2 percentage points per kg of milk and whey, and in total by 9% compared to the 2015 baseline.
  • Reduced scope 1 and 2 emissions by 4 percentage points in 2022, and in total by 29 per cent compared to our 2015 baseline.
  • Secured 100% green electricity for all production in Denmark by 2025 through power purchase agreements.
  • Saved around 3 million litres of raw milk in three UK production sites by installing real-time material loss sensors.

Social Achievements

  • Launched a Sustainability Incentive Model rewarding farmers for sustainability actions with up to 3 EUR-cent/kg of milk.
  • Arla Protein delivered 48.9% volume growth in 2022.
  • Reached over 87 million consumers with affordable nutrition products.
  • Launched new affordable milk-based powder in Nigeria and Ghana.
  • Food Movers educational program reached over 56,000 students in Denmark.

Governance Achievements

  • Introduced a Sustainability Incentive Model for farmers.
  • Divested Russian business due to the war in Ukraine.
  • Enhanced risk management process across business units.
  • Published data ethics policy.
  • Revised and strengthened Code of Conduct for Suppliers.

Climate Goals & Targets

Long-term Goals:
  • Carbon net zero across value chain by 2050.
  • Remove virgin fossil-based plastic in packaging by 2030.
Medium-term Goals:
  • Reduce scope 3 emissions by 30% per kg standardised milk and whey by 2030.
  • Reduce scope 1 and 2 emissions by 63% by 2030.
  • Cut food waste by 50% by 2030 (vs. 2015).
Short-term Goals:
  • 100% green electricity in Europe by 2025.
  • 100% recyclable packaging for Arla’s own brands by 2025.

Environmental Challenges

  • Inflation and uncertainty in global markets and supply chains.
  • Russia's invasion of Ukraine exacerbated pressure on global markets and supply chains.
  • Soaring production costs for farmers.
  • Significant downwards trend in consumer spending.
  • Decline in branded volumes due to cost-of-living crisis.
  • High inflation in energy prices, ingredients, and packaging.
  • Climate-related regulatory changes and potential carbon taxes.
  • Risk of decline in milk volumes due to climate-related risks.
  • Risk of impairment of production capacity due to climate-related risks.
  • Risk of increased production costs due to climate-related regulations.
Mitigation Strategies
  • Agile execution and price increases across business segments.
  • Introduced a sustainability incentive for farmers.
  • Adjusted expectations regarding branded volume growth and efficiencies.
  • Implemented energy efficiency initiatives at production sites.
  • Developed alternative sourcing strategies.
  • Strengthened risk management process.
  • Published data ethics policy.
  • Revised and strengthened Code of Conduct for Suppliers.
  • Implemented a Sustainability Incentive Model.
  • Entered into power purchase agreements for green electricity.

Supply Chain Management

Supplier Audits: 58 supplier audits conducted in 2022

Responsible Procurement
  • Code of Conduct for Suppliers
  • Responsible sourcing of palm oil, soy, cocoa, and forest fibre.

Climate-Related Risks & Opportunities

Physical Risks
  • Extreme weather events
Transition Risks
  • Climate-related regulatory changes
  • Regulations to reduce emissions in production and from agricultural activities
  • Land use regulations
  • Environmental footprint and origin labelling
  • Change in dietary guidelines and trends
Opportunities
  • Development of energy-efficient products and processes
  • Sustainability Incentive Model

Reporting Standards

Frameworks Used: TCFD, UN Sustainable Development Goals, UN Global Compact, GRI, Danish Financial Statements Act §99a and §99b

Third-party Assurance: EY Godkendt Revisionspartnerselskab

UN Sustainable Development Goals

  • Goal 7 (Affordable and Clean Energy)
  • Goal 12 (Responsible Consumption and Production)
  • Goal 13 (Climate Action)
  • Goal 2 (Zero Hunger)
  • Goal 3 (Good Health and Well-being)
  • Goal 8 (Decent Work and Economic Growth)
  • Goal 16 (Peace, Justice and Strong Institutions)

Arla's initiatives contribute to these goals through sustainable dairy farming, emission reductions, affordable nutrition products, employee well-being programs, and responsible governance.

Sustainable Products & Innovation

  • Arla Protein
  • Probiotic quark range in sustainable fibre cup
  • Personalised lids from consumers in Luonto+ yoghurt cup range
  • Recyclable packaging for cheeses in UK
  • Simplified sachet and pilot recycling project for Arla® Dano Daily Pushti in Bangladesh

Reporting Period: 2023

Environmental Metrics

Total Carbon Emissions:18,801 thousand tonnes CO2e
Scope 1 Emissions:508 thousand tonnes CO2e
Scope 2 Emissions:152 thousand tonnes CO2e (market-based)
Scope 3 Emissions:18,141 thousand tonnes CO2e
Renewable Energy Share:37%
Total Energy Consumption:4,125 thousand MWh
Water Consumption:18,861 thousand m3
Waste Generated:30,770 tons
Carbon Intensity:1.37 tonnes CO2e/mEUR (market-based)

ESG Focus Areas

  • Climate change
  • Animal welfare
  • Biodiversity
  • Resource use and circularity
  • Own workforce
  • Workers in the value chain
  • Consumers
  • Business conduct
  • Food safety

Environmental Achievements

  • Reduced scope 1 and 2 emissions by 4 percentage points in 2023, reaching a total reduction of 33% compared to the 2015 baseline.
  • Reduced scope 3 emissions per kg of milk and whey by 3 percentage points (2022: 2 percentage points), and in total by 12% compared to our 2015 baseline.
  • Increased renewable electricity share to 69% in 2023 from 52% in 2022.
  • Reached 0% virgin fossil-based plastic in packaging for some own brands.

Social Achievements

  • Launched the Sustainability Incentive model, paying out EUR 226 million to farmer owners based on their sustainability activities.
  • Employee Engagement Index was 86% in 2023.
  • Reached 97 million low-income consumers with affordable nutrition products (target: 90 million).

Governance Achievements

  • Implemented a Sustainability Incentive model linking farmer payments to on-farm sustainability actions.
  • Strengthened risk management process by enhancing the approach across business units.

Climate Goals & Targets

Long-term Goals:
  • Carbon net zero across value chain by 2050
Medium-term Goals:
  • 63% reduction in scope 1 and 2 emissions by 2030
  • 30% reduction in scope 3 emissions per kg of milk and whey by 2030
  • 30% women on the Board of Directors by 2026
Short-term Goals:
  • 100% renewable electricity in Europe by 2025
  • Achieve 95% of packaging designed for recycling by 2025

Environmental Challenges

  • Market volatility and shifting consumer behavior due to inflation and decreasing commodity prices.
  • Adverse foreign exchange rate effects.
  • High inflationary pressure on operational costs.
  • Maintaining competitiveness in a deflated dairy market.
  • Addressing deforestation and conversion-free sourcing of primary risk commodities.
Mitigation Strategies
  • Implemented efficiency program, Fund our Future, delivering net savings of EUR 114 million.
  • Launched Customer Sustainability Programme to commercialize on-farm sustainability efforts and help customers achieve their scope 3 reduction targets.
  • Established sourcing policies for palm, soy, and forest fibre to achieve deforestation and conversion-free status by 2025.
  • Implemented a carbon pricing scheme to incorporate carbon impact into investment decisions.

Supply Chain Management

Supplier Audits: 73 physical and virtual audits in 2023

Responsible Procurement
  • Code of Conduct for Suppliers and Business Partners
  • Global Purchasing Policy
  • Responsible Sourcing Policies for palm, soy, and forest fibre

Climate-Related Risks & Opportunities

Physical Risks
  • Extreme weather events
  • Heat waves
Transition Risks
  • Climate-related regulatory changes
  • Regulations to reduce emissions from agricultural activities
  • Land use regulation
  • Animal welfare regulations
  • Environmental footprint and origin product labelling
  • Change in dietary guidelines and trends
Opportunities
  • Development of energy-efficient products and processes
  • Leadership in sustainable dairy production

Reporting Standards

Frameworks Used: ESRS, GRI, TCFD, UNGC, SDG

Certifications: Global Food Safety Initiative

Third-party Assurance: SGS (limited assurance for most disclosures; reasonable assurance for key metrics)

UN Sustainable Development Goals

  • Goal 7 (Affordable and clean energy)
  • Goal 12 (Responsible consumption and production)
  • Goal 13 (Climate action)
  • Goal 2 (Zero hunger)
  • Goal 3 (Good health and well-being)
  • Goal 8 (Decent work and economic growth)
  • Goal 16 (Peace, justice and strong institutions)

Arla's initiatives contribute to these goals through various programs and targets related to climate change, resource efficiency, food safety, animal welfare, employee well-being, and responsible business conduct.

Sustainable Products & Innovation

  • Arla Protein
  • Improved recipes for Puck cheese with reduced fat and salt, increased protein

Awards & Recognition

  • Arla® recognised as Europe's most popular dairy brand by the 2023 Kantar Brand Footprint report

Reporting Period: 2024

Environmental Metrics

ESG Focus Areas

  • Climate Change
  • Sustainable Food Systems
  • Food Security
  • Farmer Engagement
  • Digitalization of Agriculture

Environmental Achievements

  • Achieved -63% reduction target for Scope 1 & 2 emissions (approved by SBTi)
  • Achieved Scope 3 target of -30% per tonne of standardized raw milk (approved by SBTi)
  • Launched FarmAhead™ Incentive, paying out €2.2 billion by 2030 to support farmer sustainability efforts.
  • Launched FarmAhead™ Customer Partnership to accelerate on-farm sustainability and help customers achieve Scope 3 emission reduction targets.

Social Achievements

  • FarmAhead™ Incentive program engaging nearly 80% of farmer owners in the first six months.
  • FarmAhead™ Check program collecting on-farm data to identify top levers for emission reduction.
  • Focus on generational renewal in agriculture, addressing the challenge of aging farmer population.

Governance Achievements

  • Arla Foods is a farmer-owned cooperative, giving farmers a central role in governance.
  • Active participation in UN Global Compact and UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

Climate Goals & Targets

Long-term Goals:
  • Become carbon net-zero by 2050
Short-term Goals:
  • Significantly reduce CO2e emissions by 2030

Environmental Challenges

  • Global volatility, economic shocks, and sustainability crisis.
  • Uncertainty about future legislation impacting investment and innovation.
  • Polarization in agricultural policy discourse.
  • Aging farmer population and generational renewal.
  • Lack of digital infrastructure in rural areas.
  • Threats to global food supply chains due to weather events, pandemics, and geopolitical conflicts.
  • Need to increase food production by 40-45% by 2050.
Mitigation Strategies
  • Advocating for an empowering, incentivizing, and enabling policy framework.
  • Promoting open dialogue between public and private sectors.
  • Implementing FarmAhead™ Incentive and Customer Partnership programs.
  • Investing €4 billion in sustainability, digitalization, new production technologies, and product development (Future26 Strategy).
  • Promoting public-private partnerships.
  • Supporting digitalization of agriculture.
  • Advocating for a holistic food systems approach.
  • Supporting research and innovation.

Supply Chain Management

Responsible Procurement
  • FarmAhead™ Check requirements covering climate, nature, milk quality, animal welfare, and people.

Climate-Related Risks & Opportunities

Physical Risks
  • Droughts
  • Floods
Transition Risks
  • Regulatory changes
  • Market shifts
Opportunities
  • Development of energy-efficient products

Reporting Standards

Frameworks Used: Science Based Targets initiative (SBTi), UN Global Compact, UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)