Key objectives for 2022–2025
- We continue to develop the responsibility of our entire supply chain by assessing the human rights impacts of the supply chain and minimising the risks.
- We minimise the negative environmental and climate impacts of our raw materials.
- We nurture and promote biodiversity in cooperation with our suppliers and stakeholders.
We are part of the food chain
For us, it is essential to commit our supply chain to the Raisio Supplier Code of Conduct and to ensure the procurement responsibility. Our own operations cover only a small part of the value chain, so operational responsibility risks are particularly related to the supply chain.
By the end of 2021, 99.8% of the value of all direct procurements was procured from suppliers who have committed in writing to Raisio Supplier Code of Conduct or whose own ethical principles have been approved by us.
Raisio Supplier Code of Conduct
Our products are made of sustainably sourced raw materials
Of the raw materials that we use in our products, 88% are plant-based. We acquire most of our raw materials from low-risk regions, such as Finland and the rest of Europe.
Grains − such as oat, wheat and rye − account for 75% of raw materials, and 97% of the grain we use in our products is Finnish. Durum wheat used in pasta products and small amounts of special wheat are farmed outside Finland.
Some raw materials are only available from higher-risk countries. In these cases, we pay special attention to the supplier’s procedures and certifications.
All palm oil used by Raisio has been responsibility certified since 2015 and soy since 2014. The majority of the cocoa we use, 94%, was Rainforest Alliance certified in 2021.
We aim to reduce the number of products containing palm oil
In 2019, we began to modify the recipes for Elovena® snack biscuits to allow the use of palm oil to be eliminated.
As a result, the margarine containing palm oil is now replaced by rapeseed oil in all standard Elovena® snack biscuits. Rapeseed oil is healthier because of the quality of fat, and it is also a more responsible alternative.
In Raisio’s products, palm oil is mainly used in spreads. As for spreads, no alternative to palm oil has been found with similar quality characteristics − so our work continues.
The supply chain of our grain is short
We procure grains directly from contract farms in southwest Finland and Pirkanmaa, and the grain is delivered to our production directly from the farmers’ grain warehouses without interim storage. For our key raw materials, the transport distance is less than 100 kilometres.
Farmers are important partners for us, and we aim to further develop our cooperation. One of the future measures we plan to take is to encourage our contract farmers to adopt farming practices that will increase yield security. Our farmers see that further improvement is necessary in the growing conditions of fields and, thereby, carbon sequestration.
Climate action in value chains
The steps towards carbon neutrality in our own production have been clear to us for a long time, so it is time to focus on climate action beyond the factory gates.
As a food company, we know that especially the primary production has a major impact on the carbon footprint of our value chains. Therefore, we have started to identify potential partners with whom we can promote sustainable farming practices in the future, in order to reduce emissions and preserve biodiversity at the same time.
