http://www.lindt.com//swf/eng/company/social-responsibility/sustainably-produced/the-environment-in-the-production-process/
Environmental protection is a fundamental aspect of Lindt & Sprüngli’s business processes. The company is committed to sustainability by integrating environmental considerations into all its business activities, as set out in their environmental policy. Lindt & Sprüngli has been able to consistently reduce the consumption of energy and water, the output of CO2 and waste, and optimise its transport routes.
Read here the entire Environmental Policy
Energy
Each existing and future facility and investment undergoes detailed analysis to determine how energy can be saved. From 2004 to 2010, through better insulation and energy recovery, Lindt & Sprüngli was able to cut down energy consumption by more than 13% per ton produced. The company's goal is to continue reducing the energy consumption per ton produced by an average of 2.0% over the coming years.
Here are some examples of the company’s efforts: since 1999, Lindt & Sprüngli’s Swiss subsidary, Chocoladefabriken Lindt & Sprüngli (Schweiz) AG, has been an active member of the Lake Zurich Energy Model Group. This association comprises various member companies committed to the efficient use of energy. Over its ten-year existence, the participating companies have been able to reduce their energy consumption by nearly a quarter. Chocoladefabriken Lindt & Sprüngli (Schweiz) AG made an agreement with local authorities to fulfill the Kyoto protocol in 2002. The Swiss government and independent engineers have audited the progress and as a result, the Swiss subsidary has been granted the official certificate.
There are actually other energy savings projects being realized: at Lindt & Sprüngli SpA in Italy a solar panel system for the production of electrical energy was installed in 2010 and produced around 300 MWh during 2011. At Chocoladefabriken Lindt & Sprüngli GmbH in Aachen roof insulations were renewed and a frequency controller for air compressor was installed to reduce energy consumption. At Chocoladefabriken Lindt & Sprüngli (Schweiz) AG und at Lindt & Sprüngli SpA in Italy big improvements in the utilities network were done in order to reduce and in some cases to eliminate the use of steam.
CO2
Since 2007, Lindt & Sprüngli, with its eight production units worldwide, has been participating in the Carbon Disclosure Project (CDP). The CDP analyses the strategy of listed companies in relation to climate change. The aim of the group is to effect the necessary structural changes in the coming years and to introduce the appropriate processes to allow full measurement and verification of these values based on the CDP standard. Since then, the measurements of CO2 emissions and energy consumption have been largely based on the concept of the ‘Methodology Fossil Fuels’ set out in the CDP Protocol.
For more information, visit the Carbon Disclosure Project website
At present, Lindt & Sprüngli does not collect data on SOx and NOx output. While the company is constantly striving to reduce emissions, it has not yet set absolute goals for the reduction of CO2, SOx and NOx. The company is currently aiming to continue reducing the CO2 output per ton produced by an average of 2.0% over the coming years.
Waste and paper waste volume
Lindt & Sprüngli closely monitors the waste produced and strives to continuously reduce the volume of packaging wherever possible.
The packaging materials it uses have to fulfil the highest standards in hygiene. Lindt & Sprüngli is set on using recycled, recyclable and biodegradable materials whenever stringent quality standards allow. The company continues its research in this area. Since many seasonal products are bought as gifts, their packaging tends to be significantly larger than for products that are available all year round. Lindt & Sprüngli also tests all packaging materials for their biodegradability.
In October 2008, Lindt & Sprüngli’s US subsidiary (Ghirardelli Chocolate Company, Inc.) received the 2008 award for Leadership and Achievement in Sustainability. This award is the highest honour granted by StopWaste.org of Alameda County, which recognises organisations in the East Bay region who make significant efforts to reduce waste, increase recycling and implement other environmental initiatives.
Most notable of Ghirardelli’s efforts during the past year has been the diversion and recycling of over 1,000 tons of waste that formerly went to landfills, water usage reductions of 20 million gallons per year and a 28% reduction in cardboard usage for the bag products.
Read more about packaging in the section on sourcing packaging
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Fresh and wastewater
Lindt & Sprüngli continuously monitors and analyses the use of water and the output of wastewater in the production process and intends to further reduce the use of fresh water in this process, which, in turn will impact the output of wastewater.
Transport
Of the total eight Lindt & Sprüngli production plants, six are located in Europe and two in the USA. Hence, the products are produced close to the main consumer bases. Investments in new production facilities are made with environmental factors in mind.
For example, Lindt & Sprüngli has invested USD 50 million in one of its US subsidiary, Lindt & Sprüngli (USA) Inc., so as to substantially reduce the transport volumes of semi-finished and finished products from Europe to the USA in 2009/2010. The dependence on imports from Europe for Lindt & Sprüngli (USA) Inc. will be reduced from approximately 50% to 20% in the future, mainly due to the production of cocoa liquor and chocolate bars in the USA. This strategic decision will result in shorter transport routes and lower energy consumption without compromising Lindt & Sprüngli’s premium quality, secret Swiss recipes or proprietary production processes.
A further example is the European Intercompany Logistic Concept. Lindt & Sprüngli requires its carriers to use only double floor trucks to transport the goods between the Lindt & Sprüngli companies. Through this initiative, the number of trucks and the total distance in kilometer has been reduced by 10 %, thus saving substantially on energy consumption. By implementing a load planning software, Lindt & Sprüngli strive to optimize the capacity utilization of the transport vehicles and to further reduce the number of transports.
Ghirardelli is shipping the products for the mid west distribution center since 2011 using an intermodal system with trains for the long distance, and was saving 44 % or 1’400 tons of CO2 due to this chance.
Several Lindt & Sprüngli companies have initiated green logistics projects for the implementation of intermodal solutions for national and international transports.
Several Lindt & Sprüngli companies have initiated green logistics projects for the implementation of intermodal solutions for national and international transports.
Key raw materials (except cocoa) are also procured for the most part from local suppliers. The same applies in large measure to the purchasing of packaging materials. Paper and cardboard are sourced generally within the region of the production sites.
ISO Certificates
The production facilities in Kilchberg (Switzerland), Aachen (Germany), Oloron (France), Gloggnitz (Austria), Induno Olona and Luserna San Giovanni (Italy) are certified with the ISO 9001:2000 standard for quality management. Lindt & Sprüngli factories in Induno Olona and Luserna San Giovanni are further certified with the ISO 14001 standard for environmental management. The Lindt & Sprüngli production facility in Austria is furthermore certified with the ISO 22000 standard for food safety.
Find out more about the principles of ISO standards
Environmental Key Figures
Internal environmental key figures (e.g. water and energy index) were introduced for all producing companies in 1999 and have been refined since.