Sustainability report

A foundation built on policies, codes and standards At AAK, we make every effort to assure that we are a responsible, trustworthy supplier that will never compromise on quality or sustainability. Our ability to ensure trust and reliability in our production and as a business partner rely on our ability to provide evidence of compliance with the policies, codes and standards that we adhere to. Policies and Codes Our Group Code of Conduct and Group Environmental Policy describe our commitments, rules and expec- tations in Better Operations and shall continuously be revised to ensure we are up to date with external and internal requirements. Third-party certifications We use accredited third-party organizations to verify that our production facilities operate sustainably and that every final product complies with specific stand- ards for safety, quality, and environmental protection. Food safety standards Food safety is a prerequisite for producing food products. All AAK plants are certified in accordance with internationally recognized food safety standards and audited by accredited third parties. Critical Control Points (CCPs) are identified, monitored and recorded, and the food safety management system is frequently audited by local audit teams. Finally, products are not released for delivery before the local Quality Control function has verified that food safety and product specification requirements are met. Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil The Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil (RSPO) is a multi-stakeholder organization aiming to transform markets to make sustainable palm oil the norm. RSPO has developed a set of environmental and social criteria which companies must comply with in order to produce Certified Sustainable Palm Oil (CSPO). RSPO offers two types of certification: one focusing on palm oil plantations and one focusing on the palm oil supply chain from plantation to consumer. Both systems involve accredited third-party certification to ensure the integrity of the sustainable palm oil trade. Sedex Members Ethical Trade Audit Sedex Members Ethical Trade Audit (SMETA) is one of the world’s most widely used ethical audit formats. It assesses the company systems, documentation and facilities against the Ethical Trade Initiative (ETI) Base Code as well as local laws. The audit, lasting up to four days, is carried out onsite by accredited third-party auditors. The full audit is uploaded to the data plat- form and shared with customer members. Accredited third-party certification of AAK production plants • 100 percent of AAK’s plants are certified to one or more internationally recognized food safety standards (FSSC 22000/ISO 22000/BRC) • 100 percent of plants handling palm oil are RSPO Supply Chain certified • 75 percent of plants are members of Sedex and have passed the ethical audit SMETA • 55 percent of plants are ISO 9001 quality management certified • 30 percent of plants are ISO 14001 environment certified • 15 percent of plants are ISO 5001 energy certified • 10 percent of the sourcing plants are ISCC certified In addition, various production plants are also certi- fied according to other standards, such as national energy standards, the KRAV organic standard, feed safety, health and safety, and halal and kosher production. ISO 9001, ISO 14001 and ISCC certification AAK sees great value in quality (ISO 9001) and environ- mental (ISO 14001) certification. These certifications create solid management systems to help progress towards our quality and environmental goals. Since 2016, we have also achieved ISCC certification at our sites in Aarhus, Denmark, Karlshamn, Sweden and Rotterdam, the Netherlands, contributing to the implementation of social and ecological sustainability criteria. Continuous improvement AAK aims to increase the number of certified sites with focus on ISO 14001 and ISO 9001. Assessment of other relevant standards such as ISO 45001 (Occu- pational health and safety) is continuously ongoing to evaluate applicability and effectiveness of our current safety program. AAK Sustainability Report 2020 36