Environment and biodiversity

The impacts of Apetit’s operations on environment and biodiversity arise mainly indirectly from the primary production of food and the production of other materials and the utilization of the natural resources used for them.

Examples of natural capital goods used by Apetit include clean and nutrient-rich soil, clean water, crops and seeds, wild fish as well as wood and other wood fibres. Apetit’s operations depend on the maintenance of air and soil quality, the availability of clean water and the maintenance of biodiversity.

Apetit has also identified risks related to climate change in its operations.

The environmental impacts of the operations generated by Apetit’s entire value chain are related to all natural capital dependencies. Acquisitions related cultivation and other raw materials have an impact on the soil, for example through changing land use. The climate impacts of operations also result mainly from cultivation. Apetit’s impacts on waterways are caused, for instance, by nutrient runoffs from cultivation and waste streams and wastewater from plants.

In Apetit Group, environmental management is based on environmental legislation, current environmental permits and for environmental systems that are used on production sites. Some of Apetit’s production operations require an environmental permit.

The main environmental risks at Apetit’s production plants are related to possible wastewater and vegetable oil leaks into the environment and to refrigerant leaks from freezing machinery. No environmental accidents occurred in Apetit’s production operations in 2021.

Reducing environmental impacts

Apetit has identified opportunities to positively influence its environmental impacts. Research is being carried out at Apetit’s Räpi experimental farm to promote sustainable cultivation methods and carbon farming and to improve soil fertility, among other things. The use of sustainable local fish stocks can also have a positive impact. Apetit reduces its direct climate impacts by improving energy efficiency and by switching to renewable energy sources. The investments made in brush scrubbers and steam peelers at Apetit’s Säkylä plant will, for their part, significantly reduce water consumption and the use of steam.