Time flies and more than five weeks have passed since I first arrived at Lantmännen Doggy in Vårgårda. During these weeks, I have further discovered the international presence of Lantmännen, and been introduced to the width of Lantmännen’s concern for sustainability, not only globally, but also locally.
The presence of Lantmännen keeps surprising me. Two weeks ago, I visited my girlfriend in Oslo, and during a stroll through her neighborhood a lot of e-mails suddenly started to pop in, even though I had turned of roaming on my smart phone. It turned out that we’d just passed Lantmännen Cerealia’s mill and my phone connected to LantWiFi. Moreover, I noticed that Bozita is exporting dog food to Iceland!
The days at the office in Vårgårda are passing by and I’m trying to manage my own project whilst trying to tag along and experience many of the tasks that my supervisor, who is Brand Manager for Bozita, is facing. Over the last few weeks we have visited the marketing agency, checking stores in Hamburg and engaged in a conference with the Polish sales team in Warsaw.
I know that Lantmännen as an organization is investing broadly in sustainability, which is resulting in positive outcomes as being ranked as the most sustainable brand in the Sustainable Bran Index 2014 for example! Check out this pleasant reading http://www.sb-insight.com/wp-content/uploads/Sustainable-Brand-Index-2014-Officiell-rapport.pdf
Though, what recently impressed me was the local sustainability work being done here in Vårgårda. The department of Business Development has summarized the work that has been done and is planning a Doggy specific sustainability strategy.
Since the environmental impact of ingredients of animal origin is big, Lantmännen Doggy has several eco initiatives which together constitute an ecosystem. These initiatives exist throughout the whole value chain.
- To start with, 97,5% of all beef, pork and lamb used in production is from Sweden, and the production waste is used to extract biogas, which powers the city buses and garbage trucks in Borås.
- Additionaly, 100% of Lantmännen Doggy’s energy consumption consists of renewable energy!
- Considering packaging, Lantmännen Doggy was the first company in the world to pack pet food in FSC-marked Tetras, free from Bisfenol A.
I think we’re impressive, don’t you?
/Fredrik Ringård