Sustainability – From Fruit to the Glass

Our Values

A commitment to sustainable management, with which we balance the social, economic and ecological effects of our business activities, is a key part of the purpose of our business. We have also strongly internalized our way of working, according to which the company and its employees always work in a sustainable and socially responsible manner.

In addition to this, we are committed to traditional values, such as reliability, authenticity and openness. Flexibility and a pragmatic approach to decision making and our operations are also important values to us.

Our Sustainability Strategy

Our strategic approach focuses on three core sectors: products, value-added chain and people, where we strive for continuous progress through sustainable development. This includes three essential concerns for our company – fruit quality, values of a family enterprise and local solidarity. These factors are reflected in the establishment and implementation of sustainability objectives, initiatives and activities.

We Take Responsibility

Products

Our public goal is to offer our consumers the best of the fruit and berries. For this purpose, we continuously strive to improve the sustainability profile of our products and our packaging.

• A large part of our liquid carton packaging and sales batch pallets and boxes are recyclable
• We are the first juice sector company in Finland to take into use the FSC label (the mark of responsible forestry)
• Ready-to-drink products packaged in PET bottles are in the Palpa beverage container recycling system
• Sugar-free versions of Marli Juissi, Marli Tarhurin berry soups and both Marli and Mehukatti syrups were launched in 2014 to provide lower-calorie beverage options for Finnish consumers
• Eckes-Granini Finland was also the first company in Finland to launch the naturally lighter stevia- sweetened fruit nectars and drinks under the Marli Vital 50 % less added sugar concept
• In 2017, the Marli berry soup, Marli Vital and Marli Juissi product series containing added sugar had the added sugar reduced by 20–30 %
• The Marli Wellbeing drinks, having low-calorie content (12 kcal/100ml) derived from fruit and berries only, were launched for the summer of 2017

Value-Added Chain

Our way of thinking is holistic – from the fruit to the glass. We pay special attention to the procurement of raw materials as well as production and logistics. Along with ecological and economic criteria, we examine social issues, such as working conditions and remuneration.

Our goals are:

• To reduce the total energy and water consumption, as well as waste water, taking account of any changes to the market or the production structure
• To commission the new steam heating plant in 2018 in cooperation with the other industrial companies in the Artukainen district and Oy Turku Energia-Åbo Energi Ab. A renewable energy-based energy plant is a greener way of generating steam.
• Juice concentrate procurement from only SGF Irma certified suppliers. SGF stands for “Sure-Global-Fair” and the aim of the organization is to secure safe and fair trading of genuine fruit and vegetable juices. As a result, they organize factory inspections for member companies and market surveillance of products.

People

People make the difference – we are convinced of that. For this reason, we consider it our company’s mission to create the conditions for our employees in which they can carry out their tasks successfully.

Our goals are:

• To improve quality of life by investing in an extensive health insurance plan
• A safe working environment: customized safety training every year / every other year
• To invest in safety on production lines
• To explore the possibilities for part-time retirement for older workers through special insurance
• To conduct regular personnel surveys for the collection of feedback and the discovery of development areas
• To have a stable and safe, long-term employer for the personnel (in 2017, we celebrated our 150-year journey in the field of beverage production in Turku)
• Annual social projects; supporting local children’s sports teams
• Between 2014 and 2016, employing teenagers aged 15 to 17 as brand ambassadors in social media
• To annually support the Nordic charity cycling event, Team Rynkeby God Morgon. In 2017, the event raised a total of approx. 8.8 million euros for the fight against childhood cancer. The sum raised in Finland through this event was approx. 567,000 euros, which was donated to Aamu Suomen Lasten Syöpäsäätiö, a foundation for the support of childhood cancer treatment, and Sylva ry, an association for the benefit of children and youth with cancer.

Corporate Responsibility

Corporate responsibility in sustainability means:

• Transparency
• Not only local activity
• Taking the wishes of consumers and customers into account
• Identifying problem areas