Environment & Social issues


 

 

Sustainability from A to Z


As organic pioneers, we don't just regard ecology as a part of our marketing strategy, but rather as something which is close to our heart. Protection of the environment and sustainability are therefore firmly anchored in our company philosophy. Throughout the entire value added chain, we set great store by sustainable economic management.

Promoting biodynamic projects right from the start

Naturata has stood for biodynamic food from the start. That's why we have always consistently supported Demeter projects, thereby playing a pioneering role in the early years of the fledgling organic market. We are convinced that biodynamic land management is the most sustainable solution. Not only do Demeter farmers use no synthetic chemical fertilizers and pesticides, they use additional special preparations which significantly improve soil quality. The objective is always to put more back into the soil than is taken out. As a result, soil life is revitalised, fertility increased and root growth stimulated. By encouraging biodynamic agriculture, we are contributing to the preservation of biological diversity. Independent research has also shown that the humus layer grows continuously. This is of particular significance in the light of climate change, since humus binds large quantities of CO₂.

FAIRTRADE

Many of our products are manufactured taking fair trading relations into consideration ‒ as clearly indicated by the Fairtrade Mark on the packaging. This means the consumer can be absolutely certain that the criteria for fair trade have been fulfilled. However, we often go beyond these. You can find out more about Fairtrade here.

Above and beyond our many projects, we are also naturally committed to helping man, nature and the environment.

EMAS certification

The most important measure for consolidating environmental protection is most certainly environmental management in accordance with EMAS, the Eco-Management and Audit Scheme. Naturata has been EMAS-certified since 2014 and now operates a voluntary environmental management system in order to eliminate ecological weak points in the company and optimise our overall environmental protection performance in the long term.
What's special about EMAS? In comparison with other certification schemes, EMAS focuses on development and continuous improvement far in excess of statutory environmental requirements, rather than simply permanently maintaining a certain status. To this end, new environmental objectives and measures are defined every year.
Our current statement on the environment describes Naturata's objectives and which aspects of environmental policy are measured and improved upon each year.

Supporting nonprofit organizations

We use our status as a pioneer in the organic market to generate a sustainable return, which we use to promote social, environmental issues. With overproduction quantities or goods that are close to the best before date, we regularly support non-profit associations and organizations such as kindergartens, raffles or foodsharing.

Reducing CO₂ emissions

We are committed to reducing our CO₂ emissions by cutting fuel consumption. To this end, we offer our staff driver training courses and behavioural tips for behind the wheel. Our fleet of vehicles has been carbon neutral since April 2015, thanks to the use of climate-neutral fuel cards. Furthermore, Naturata offers financial support to those employees who travel to work by bike, use public transport or practice car sharing. The aim is to create an incentive for more environmentally conscious travel.

Environmentally sound transport

Wherever possible, Naturata is mindful of using environmentally sound transport means and routes and, in cooperation with myclimate, compensates for all CO₂ emissions generated during the production process and transport of a number of its products. A declared environmental objective in accordance with EMAS is the reduction of transport routes for raw materials for food production. Depending on the raw material, however, short transport routes cannot always be realised, such as in the case of our cocoa.
However, our entire spelt pasta range, for example, comes from the Schwäbische Alb region of Germany. Cultivation, processing and marketing all take place in Baden-Württemberg. Our rusks, too, are produced just a few kilometres away from our headquarters.

Last but not least

The whole is the sum of its parts. For this reason, we focus on ecologically sound and sustainable behaviour, even regarding minor aspects of our operations. In our day-to-day work, for example, we use only recycled FSC paper and source all our office supplies from a sustainable supplier. These are delivered in re-usable transport boxes which are subsequently returned and used again, in order to avoid packaging waste. In some cases, we have installed demand-actuated switches to control lighting in the company building.