TORONTO, May 03, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Lactalis Canada, the Canadian dairy leader behind iconic brands like Cracker Barrel, Black Diamond, Balderson, Astro and Lactantia and a subsidiary of France-based Lactalis Group, today released Lactalis Canada’s 2022 Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) Report which highlights the company’s drive to embed real and meaningful change across the organization and contribute to the wellbeing of the people, planet and communities it serves.
“Lactalis Canada’s 2022 ESG Report is a roadmap to transform our business even as we grow, innovate and adapt to evolving global circumstances and is designed to enable responsible and profitable growth and deliver value for all Lactalis Canada stakeholders – our people, consumers, customers, suppliers, dairy farmers, governments, industry and community partners,” said Mark Taylor, President & CEO, Lactalis Canada. “Our report also outlines our efforts to advance three priorities to meet the evolving expectations of our customers and Canadian consumers – circular economy and packaging, climate action, and animal welfare.”
Lactalis Canada’s report is directly aligned with the company’s global ESG framework set by Lactalis Group, focusing on three key pillars of impact: People & Communities; Authentic Products & Heritage; and Land & Resources. In 2022, Lactalis Canada continued to integrate sustainable business practices into the day-to-day management of the company, improving its performance across these pillars:
People & Communities
- Nurtured diverse and inclusive culture, creating employee-led and leadership championed DE&I Council and launching DE&I focused training initiative.
- Enhanced employee engagement and investments in wellness programs, including biometric screening and mental health training. Earned a place on Forbes 2022 list of Canada’s Best Employers for the second consecutive year.
- Established new Safety Executive Council and improved year-over-year safety incident rate by 20%.
- Invested over $2.6 million to more than 50 charitable organizations across the country, including contribution of nearly one million litres/kilograms of nutritious high-quality milk and dairy products; donated equivalent of 3.4 million meals to food banks and feeding programs across the country.
- Launched Lactalis Canada Community Enrichment Fund to empower each of Lactalis Canada’s operational sites to make meaningful impact at the local level through participation and support of community programs.
Authentic Products & Heritage
- Supported launch of Lactalis Group’s Act for Quality worldwide initiative, aiming to set industry benchmark for food safety and product quality in Canada.
- Advanced implementation of ambitious animal welfare practices and programs by contributing to Lactalis Group Animal Welfare Policy and modernization of the Canadian Code of Practice for the Care and Handling of Dairy Cattle.
- Made measurable progress in reducing amount of sugar and salt across product portfolio, and continued to advance “clean label” initiatives to simplify ingredient declarations on products, including removal of artificial colours and flavours across a variety of products.
- Continued to expand Canadian and local sourcing programs, adopting several well-known assurance seals such as Blue Cow logo, and Made in Ontario and Aliments du Québec certifications.
Land & Resources
- Reduced Scope 1 and Scope 2 GHG emissions intensity by 10% over three years, and lowered consumption of natural gas, through equipment upgrades, replacement projects and better management practices.
- Reduced carbon footprint and fossil fuel consumption, achieving a 75% reduction in carbon emissions (CO2eq) in transport activities across the east to west corridor.
- Through better eco-design, reduced amount of corrugated packaging used by over 41,000 kg and amount of plastic by more than 20,000 kg.
- Converted 4,407 tonnes of organic solids waste into 2,200 cubic metres of biogas, which can be used as energy recovery and avoiding its discharge into landfill.
“We know our success is not measured by our words, but by our actions. Many opportunities and challenges lie ahead for both our company and our industry,” added Taylor. “We are proud of the progress we’ve made, but we recognize there are areas where we need to improve to achieve our targets. We will continue to evolve Our Plan and be guided by our core values, our key stakeholders, and by the global insights and best practices of the Lactalis Group.”
To read Lactalis Canada’s 2022 ESG Report click here.
About Lactalis Canada Inc.
With 140 years of brand heritage, Lactalis Canada is committed to enriching and nurturing the lives of Canadians by producing nutritious and great tasting dairy products. Named on Forbes list of Canada’s Best Employers, Lactalis Canada directly employs more than 4,000 employees, supports hundreds of farming families and contributes to the livelihoods of thousands of Canadians who provide essential services to Lactalis Canada's more than 30 operating sites including 19 manufacturing facilities. The company’s iconic brands include Cracker Barrel, Black Diamond, P'tit Québec, Balderson, Cheestrings Ficello, aMOOza!, Astro, Khaas, siggi’s, IÖGO, IÖGO nanö, Olympic, Lactantia, Beatrice, Galbani, and Président. Lactalis Canada is part of Lactalis Group, the world’s leading dairy company, headquartered in Laval, France. For more information, visit www.lactalis.ca.
Media Contact:
Sarah Sutton
Manager, Corporate Communications, Lactalis Canada
sarah.sutton@ca.lactalis.com
c: (437) 249-2730
A photo accompanying this announcement is available at https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/1662d962-4259-45ee-a8a7-3c5d2d3a28a9
