Our contribution to the UNITED NATIONS
Sustainability Goals
Borregaard has prioritised six of the seventeen Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) set out in the UN 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development based on how we as a company can contribute to solving the global challenges through our activities and solutions:
- 2 Zero hunger;
- 8 Decent work and economic growth;
- 9 Industry, innovation, and infrastructure;
- 12 Responsible consumption and production;
- 13 Climate action; and
- 15 Life on land
Borregaard can have a positive impact in these areas through our unique biorefinery concept and our sustainable products. Below you will find a complete overview of Borregaard's contributions to all seventeen Sustainable Development Goals.
End poverty in all its forms everywhere
- Borregaard and the rest of the industry generate high value creation. Through its purchases of goods and services and tax contributions, the industry creates positive ripple effects in the form of direct and indirect jobs
- Substantial tax payments. In 2022, the Borregaard Group’s tax payments amounted to NOK 208 million
- Jobs provide a route out of poverty. Borregaard employs 1,107 FTEs in 13 countries
END HUNGER, ACHIEVE FOOD SECURITY AND IMPROVED NUTRITION AND PROMOTE SUSTAINABLE AGRICULTURE
- Efficient and sustainable feed products (SDG 2.4)
- Growth stimulants for food plants
- Improved and sustainable crop solutions and protection
- Raw materials do not compete with food production
- Borregaard’s SoyPass technology reduces soy in feed and increases milk production for dairy cattle (SDG 2.4)
- Borregaard’s vanillin has 90% lower CO2 emissions compared to oil-based alternatives
- Speciality cellulose in consumer goods applications
Good health and well being
- A number of Borregaard’s products replace hazardous chemicals such as solvents (SDG 3.9)
- Products that contribute to fat reduction
- Diagnostics (pharma intermediates)
- Focus on the health and safety of employees
Ensure inclusive and quality education for all and promote lifelong learning
- Prioritising employee training – many training programmes in the Group
- Cooperation with schools (education, equipment, visitor programmes)
- Supporting a science centre
ACHIEVE GENDER EQUALITY AND EMPOWER ALL WOMEN AND GIRLS
- Equal treatment rules. Active recruitment of women to all levels and positions. (SDG 5.5, 5.c)
- Overrepresentation of women in managerial development programmes (SDG 5.5)
- 25% of Borregaard’s employees were women in 2022
Clean water and sanitation
- A focus on reducing water consumption (SDG 6.3)
- Working with, and investing in, emission cuts (SDG 6.3)
- Producing products for use in water purification (SDG 6.3)
- Own water treatment facility at the plant in Sarpsborg (SDG 6.3)
Ensure access to affordable, reliable, sustainable and modern energy for all
- 59% renewable energy use in 2022 (SDG 7.2)
- Increased production of bioethanol for fuel (SDG 7.2)
- Supplies surplus heat from low temperature water to district heating (SDG 7.2)
- Batteries is an application in BioSolutions
Decent work and economic growth
- Profitability as a prerequisite in addition to environmental and social dimensions in the sustainability scope
- Borregaard and the rest of the industry generate a high level of value creation and positive ripple effects in society. Borregaard employs 1,107 FTEs in 13 countries (SDG 8.2)
- Substantial tax contributions
- Good working conditions and training programmes (SDG 8.5)
- Over-recruitment of apprentices (in excess of internal needs)
- Financial sustainability secures investments, R&D and competence development
- Supplier follow up and approval of new suppliers in accordance with requirements for responsible sourcing (SDG 8.5)
- Promoting human rights and decent working conditions
BUILD RESILIENT INFRASTRUCTURE, PROMOTE SUSTAINABLE INDUSTRIALISATION AND FOSTER INNOVATION
- Substantial investments in innovation using internal resources, as well as contributions from institutes and universities (SDG 9.5)
- Sustainability is the main focus in innovation work (SDG 9.5)
- Uses a significant share of revenues on innovation
- New and improved products with better performance
- Market-driven innovation that involves the entire organisation
- Developing new, sustainable bio-based industry through the innovation projects Exilva and BALI (SDG 9.5)
- Delivers sustainable products and solutions to infrastructure
- Producing green chemicals used in the construction industry, such as lignin (SDG 9.4)
- Spending a substantial proportion of revenues on innovation (SDG 9.5)
REDUCE INEQUALITY WITHIN AND AMONG COUNTRIES
- A high degree of collective welfare benefits in the company (SDG 10.2 & SDG 10.3)
- A high degree of mobility across the organisation opportunities for all (SDG 10.2 & 10.3)
MAKE CITIES INCLUSIVE, SAFE, RESILIENT AND SUSTAINABLE
- Social engagement in local areas
- Support for schools, recreational activities, social initiatives, urban and sustainable development (SDG 11.3)
- Specialty cellulose into construction materials (SDG 11.3)
ENSURE SUSTAINABLE CONSUMPTION AND PRODUCTION PATTERNS
- Sustainable business model with bio-based products (SDG 12.2)
- Full utilisation of raw materials
- Continuously improved environmental lifecycle impact
- Investments in renewable energy (sustainability) (SDG 12.2)
- Energy strategy for increasing the use of green and renewable energy and energy efficiency (SDG 12.2)
- Environmental investments to cut emissions and waste (SDG 12.4)
- Long-term plan to reduce organic material, COD, in the discharge of effluent to water, reduced by 44% from 2010 to 2022. (SDG 12.4)
- Continuous productivity improvements, including digitalisation
- Improved chemical safety (SDG 12.4)
- Transparent sustainability reporting according to the GRI standard (SDG 12.6)
- Sustainable sourcing programme
TAKE URGENT ACTION TO COMBAT CLIMATE CHANGE AND ITS IMPACTS
- The biorefinery concept with sustainable products is an integral part of the business model – an important climate measure (SDG 13.2)
- Established EHS/climate and energy strategy (SDG 13.2)
- Greenhouse gas emissions are assessed in relation to transport options (SDG 13.2)
- Established science-based targets for cutting green house gas emissions (SDG 13.2)
- Investments in renewable energy and reduced emissions (SDG 13.2)
- Climate impact part of investment project evaluations
CONSERVE AND SUSTAINABLE USE THE OCEANS, SEAS AND MARINE RESOURCES
- Phosphor in the discharge is reduced by 70% from 2010 to 2022 (SDG 14.1)
- Utilisation of lignin from pulp mills has led to lower emissions to water
- Built and financed a salmon cultivation facility on own premises
SUSTAINABLE MANAGED FORESTS, COMBAT DESERTIFICATION, HALT AND REVERSE LAND DEGRADATION, HALT BIODIVERSITY LOSS
- Bio-based raw materials from responsibly managed and certified sources reduce impact on biodiversity
- Sustainability criteria are stressed when purchasing wood (SDG 15.1)
- Active cooperation with stakeholders in the forest value chain (SDG 15.2)
- Chain of Custody certified in accordance with FSC and PEFC forest certification standards (SDG 15.1 & 15.2)
PROMOTE JUSTICE, PEACE AND INCLUSIVE SOCIETIES
- Guidelines for ethics and corporate social responsibility (SDG 16.3)
- Respect for the law and active contribution to good dialogue with the authorities (SDG 16.3)
REVITALISE THE GLOBAL PARTNERSHIP FOR SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT
- Member of the Global Compact and Responsible Care
- Environmental reporting: CDP, Global Compact and annual report (SDG 17.14 & 17.16)
- Represented in various environmental forums, nationally and internationally (SDG 17.16)
- Collaborate with customers on developing more sustainable product and solutions (SDG 17.16)
- Environmental reporting: GRI, CDP, Global Compact, EcoVadis and annual report (SDG 17.14 & 17.16)