Granarolo: the three objectives for Goal 12

Greater animal welfare, a drastic reduction in the use of plastics and anti-waste initiatives are the three objectives that the Granarolo group has set itself for the three-year period 2019-2021 to address sustainable development goal 12 (responsible consumption and production) in the UN’s 2030 Agenda.

As for the first objective, the group aims to achieve a minimum score of 70/100 in animal welfare for all the stables in the Granarolo-Granlatte supply chain that are already certified, accompanied by more attentive management of drug use (reduced usage and improved therapeutic effectiveness). To date this score has been achieved by 336 stables, accounting for 63% of milk delivered.

The group also has an extensive programme for plastic reduction with strategies aimed at reducing CO2 production by 3,787 tons in three years, the amount generated for the annual lighting of a city of 54,726 inhabitants. In March, the group launched the first milk bottle in Italy made of 20% recycled plastic and plans to reach 50% by the end of 2019. At the beginning of the year, the group started recovering plastic bottles from the marketplace, initially sent to waste-to-energy plants or landfills. At the same time, experiments on alternative materials are being conducted in partnership with young start-ups.

Granarolo has also launched an anti-waste plan on milk and dairy products with the aim of reducing returns from the Italian market by 10% (an estimated 123,000 tons of returns from the fresh milk and dairy products market). This corresponds to a reduction of 1,400 tons of CO2, equivalent to the amount generated for the annual lighting of a city of about 20,000 inhabitants. Actions include lengthening the shelf-life of products and conducting campaigns to promote more sustainable management of products at home, new uses for products approaching the end of their shelf life and proper disposal.