Social impacts and society

As its direct stakeholders, Apetit has identified customers, employees, growers, shareholders, partners, goods and service providers as well as certain supervisory authorities. The company’s indirect stakeholders include, for example, local communities, media, society, subcontractors, educational institutions and advocacy organisations.

The social impacts of Apetit’s operations extend to different parts of the value chain: in the supply chain, to people in primary production and to endusers of products. The risks posed by social impacts are assessed as part of the risk management policy. The most critical social impact risks are the realisation of human rights and children’s rights in different parts of the company’s value chain.

In addition to direct employment, Apetit’s operations have indirect impacts on the areas near its industrial sites. In 2023, Apetit’s purchases of raw materials, goods and services totalled EUR 113.4 million.

Apetit has focused its support and sponsoring activities on the areas where the company’s production facilities are located. In addition to support granted to sports facilities, for example, Apetit has chosen a sports team in each of its production locations to receive financial support.

Apetit also cooperates in various primary production R&D projects with parties such as Baltic Sea Action Group and Pyhäjärvi institute. In 2023, Apetit Group invested EUR 1.6 million in research and development. Project-related research is also conducted at Apetit’s Räpi experimental farm. The mainly plant- and fish-based products manufactured by Apetit contribute to enabling users to adopt sustainable eating habits that improve their well-being.

All of the employees work at the Group’s Finnish production facilities or in its other locations in Finland. The food industry in Finland has an exceptionally high proportion of women compared to other industries. In Apetit Group’s operations, the share of women is 49 per cent among employees, 44
per cent among office employees and 59 per cent among the entire personnel.

Social responsibility in the supply chain

Apetit evaluates sourcing-related human rights risks and the realisation of social responsibility by means of the Amfori BSCI risk country classification, third-party audits and supplier risk assessments based on suppliers’ self-evaluation forms. Risk country suppliers of main raw materials, subcontracted products and frozen vegetables are required to have their production facility audited by a third party (BSCI, Sedex or similar) and to provide Apetit with access to the audit report. The validity of certificates and audit results are systematically monitored. This requirement also applies to indirect sourcing from risk countries, i.e. sourcing where the primary production of the raw material in question takes place in a risk country.

In sourcing activities in low-risk countries, Apetit conducts a supplier risk assessment based on self-evaluation forms.

All of Apetit’s direct suppliers are required to sign the Apetit Group’s Supplier Code of Conduct, which is based on the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) associated with human rights as well as social and environmental responsibility.

Apetit-sponsored teams promote sports and well-being among children and young people

To support sports and well-being among children and young people, Apetit selects sports teams to be included in its sponsorship programme. In the selection of the teams, the emphasis is on the team’s locally significant work to create equal sports opportunities for children and young people. A team applying to become an Apetit-sponsored team must have clear principles for the prevention of bullying and discrimination: everyone must feel welcome to the team’s activities and practise sports in their own way.

The Apetit-sponsored teams for 2024-2025 are KyiF  girls handball teams, Football club Kurenpojat from Pudasjärvi and Huittisten uima- ja triathlon seura HuiTU from Huittinen.