Do you write checklists of the things you need to remember? At Arla Foods we areconstantly working to become more environmentally friendly.

This is our to-do list:

Save energy
All our dairies have specific targets for saving energy. How they plan to do it is described in each dairy’s business plan, which is a description of how they are reach their goals. The employees play an important role in this work and regularly contribute with good ideas on how the dairy can save energy.
Transport also swallows a lot of energy and we do our best to minimise our fuel consumption. As an example, we plan all our routes very carefully to make them as short as possible. Our drivers are also trained in eco-driving and learn to use the truck’s propulsion instead of keeping their foot on the gas pedal all the way to the traffic light before braking.

Maximum milk use
Milk is our most important raw material but its production on the farm also accounts for the main environmental load. It is therefore important to minimise the loss of milk raw material during production.

Reduce airborne emissions
The emissions from the dairies depend on the type of energy used. At Arla Foods, we endeavour to use environmentally friendly energy but it is not always easy to procure. However, in recent years we have increased our consumption of environmentally friendly energy and reduced our consumption of fossil fuels (such as oil and gas).

Trucks emit carbon dioxide (CO2) and nitrogen oxides (NOX). The amount emitted depends on fuel consumption. NOX emission also depends on the type of engine in the truck and how old it is. To minimise emissions, we always try to make routes as short as possible and make sure we have new trucks with modern engines.

Use all resources effectively
When producing foodstuffs, we try to use all resources effectively. This involves using as much of the raw material as possible and minimising the amount of waste. Waste is sorted in the same way as at a recycling depot.

Risk assessment of chemicals
The chemicals used by Arla Foods affect both the work environment and nature. Chemicals include everything from detergents to hydraulic oil. We carry out ongoing environmental and health assessments of the chemicals we use.

Minimise water consumption
We are aware that clean water is a scarce resource and that we must limit the amount of water we consume. We therefore go to a lot of trouble to reuse water and to purify it before it leaves the dairies. In fact, an environmental manager at one of Arla Foods’ dairies has helped develop a new water purification system called a Biobooster together with the Danish pump manufacturer Grundfos – a system now exported worldwide.

In Sweden, where water is not yet a scarce resource, water consumption does not have the same priority. However, a lot of energy is consumed in heating water and pumping it around the plant, so the Swedish dairies also try hard to cut costs by minimising the water consumption.

In the UK, we have worked hard to reduce water consumption in the production process. By sharing experiences and collaborating across departments and dairies, we have succeeded in reducing our water consumption: ín 2007 we used 20% less water per litre milk produced than in 2004.

Increase environmental credibility
It is important to us that our customers, consumers, employees and ownersunderstand how our group deals with environmental issues. This part of our website is an example of the way we communicate about environmental issues. In 2008, Arla Foods will produce its first report on the production of sustainable dairy products.

© Copyright 2000-2008 Arla Foods amba