Orkla has announced that it is setting what it describes as ambitious sustainability goals, wants to lead the way in developing sustainable grocery products, and has set goals up to 2025.

“More and more people want to contribute to sustainable consumption by throwing away less food, using less plastic and making other green choices on an everyday basis. We at Orkla want to play a part in designing tomorrow’s solutions for our products, and are now significantly raising our level of ambition, particularly in the environmental area,” said Peter A. Ruzicka, Orkla President and CEO.

Orkla’s new sustainability goals up to 2025 are described in the Group’s Annual Report. The goals entail a gradual transition to renewable energy, increased resource recovery and products that promote a healthy, sustainable lifestyle.

“Sustainable production and innovation are key to our ability to respond effectively to changing consumer preferences. We will use our local presence and our strong brands to develop products and services that are good for people and the environment. A good example is our new brand Klar, a range of sustainable cleaning products which has been well received in the market,” Ruzicka said.

Orkla’s targets include halving food waste, aiming for 100% recyclable packaging and reducing greenhouse gas emissions from its own operations by 60% by 2025.

Many Orkla companies have launched products that it says meet consumer requests for healthier, more environmentally-friendly choices.

“We are seeing strong demand for vegetarian and vegan products, especially in Sweden and parts of Denmark, but this consumer trend is on the rise here too. Our vegan product ranges, Anamma and Naturli’, have now been launched in several markets,” said Ruzicka.

Other examples include highly concentrated detergents that require less plastic packaging and ready-to-eat meals in packaging made of renewable plastic. Pierre Robert has introduced Nordic Swan ecolabelled children’s wool garments and organically certified cotton underwear for sale in grocery stores.