Sustainability

Our corporate actions are guided by our social, ecological and economic responsibility. This commitment begins even before the milk reaches our premises.

In particular, the long-standing, intensive partnership with our milk suppliers is an essential cornerstone of our entrepreneurial philosophy.

The high value placed on a long-term orientation is also reflected in the management of our dairy. This can be seen, among other things, in the few but well-prepared management changes in recent decades. We want to continue to develop our company responsibly and with a view to achieving economic success in the future.

Animal Welfare

Our dairy farm lives up to its responsibility by introducing new animal husbandry methods in cooperation with our milk producers.

In order to guarantee animal welfare as well as the quality of milk, it is crucial to us to include our customer’s wishes in the process.

In a joint effort, we have been able to ensure that the majority of the daily delivered milk meets the standard of the animal husbandry level 3 and that our farmers are certified.

Thanks to our milk producers, who have always supported and practiced visionary and future-oriented measures we are capable of making animal welfare a priority.

By implementing these changes, we jointly drive progress and thus have a large share in the steadily growing animal welfare and ultimately the quality of milk.

Regional Production

We see ourselves as an active member of society and, as a company, we are connected to our home region. We support this business location not only with our taxes and levies, but also by creating sustainable jobs.

Wherever possible and economically viable, we work together with regional companies and service providers. Our producers and their milk come from a maximum radius of 230 km around our location in Scheßlitz, in order to keep transport distances as short as possible. With these and other measures, we are sustainably ensuring that the lives of future generations in our homeland remain worth living.

Environment

As we process a natural product, sustainable development is very close to our hearts. Only through targeted measures can an environment be preserved in which future generations can also live safely. That is why we are continuously improving our energy consumption, reducing energy costs and optimising our energy efficiency, processes and procedures. The introduction of an energy management system in conjunction with our ISO 50001 certification is an expression of this ongoing endeavour.

We apply the latest technological standards in all areas. We use the waste heat from our production facilities, for example, to heat buildings and generate hot water. For many years, we have been operating our own combined heat and power plant, our own sewage treatment plant and producing environmentally friendly electricity via photovoltaics.

We also involve our contractual partners in our efforts to increase efficiency.

Starting with route optimisation when collecting the milk, the strict evaluation of suppliers and products of purchased operating resources, all the way to the efficient delivery of goods.

For many years, we have been using environmentally friendly packaging that is even better for the environment and the climate. For example, our fresh milk packaging has one layer less packaging material than regular milk packaging, and is also made of unbleached cellulose. The FSC-certified packaging is recyclable, climate-friendly and predominantly made from renewable raw materials.

Climate protection

The goals of the Paris Climate Agreement are fully supported by Milchhof Albert. In 2021, we conducted our first assessment of our CO2 footprint, a crucial step in understanding how Milchhof Albert can contribute to reducing greenhouse gas emissions to zero by 2050, as mandated by the EU.

We have already taken significant steps to reduce our CO2 emissions, including the installation of photovoltaic systems on a total of four hall roofs on our premises. Building upon the standards set by SBTi, Milchhof Albert has set further specific goals to emit fewer greenhouse gases. We aim to achieve this primarily through process optimizations and technological innovations. Both our suppliers in the pre-production phase and partners in the post-production phase are involved in this endeavor. Milchhof Albert regularly publishes progress reports on the SBTi homepage.

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