Chr. Hansen ranked as the most sustainable company in the world

One month short of its official 145th anniversary, global bioscience company Chr. Hansen is ranked the most sustainable company in the world by Corporate Knights, a specialized Toronto-based media and investment research firm.

This was announced during the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, on January 22, 2019, upon the release of Corporate Knights’ 15th annual Global 100 Most Sustainable Corporations in the World ranking.

More than 7,500 companies have been analyzed against global industry peers on a number of quantitative key performance indicators. Chr. Hansen scored 100% on the ‘clean revenue’ indicator, reflecting that the company’s products have clear environmental and certain social benefits, as stated in Corporate Knights’ definition.

The power of good bacteria
“We are extremely proud and humble to receive this amazing honor. I believe that one of the reasons why Chr. Hansen has been ranked as #1 is because the world is beginning to understand the power of good bacteria and the impact it can have on some of the major challenges the world is facing, such as food waste, antibiotic overuse and the need for a more sustainable agricultural sector to feed a growing world population while preserving our planet for future generations,” says CEO Mauricio Graber.

“Chr. Hansen is dedicated to promoting a wider adoption of natural solutions, and we are truly proud of our products which are consumed by more than 1 billion people every day. Having a global reach like that is indeed a great responsibility as well as an opportunity to make a positive difference for people, animals and plants. We are fortunate to have customers all over the world who are with us on this journey – determined to promote sustainable and natural products to the end-user,” Graber elaborates.

“We have, among other things, been recognized for our efforts to measure our impact on the UN Global Goals; 82% of our revenue directly supports these goals, and PWC has reviewed our methodology to document this.”

Sustainability – an integral part of the business
Chr. Hansen has been supplying natural ingredients to the food industry since 1874. The understanding and respect for nature’s scarce resources has always been an integral part of the company’s DNA. Today, sustainability remains at the core of Chr. Hansen, reflected by the name of the corporate strategy 2022: ‘Nature’s No. 1 – Sustainably’. The strategy focuses on developing natural solutions for the global food, health and agricultural industries in a sustainable manner. The UN Global Goals are used as a framework to link the impact of the corporate strategy to sustainable development, and the performance is measured and reported on an annual basis.

“Working for a better world is deeply rooted in our product portfolio and organizational culture. As a company this gives us a very strong purpose that is closely linked to sustainability, and which our employees fully identify with. They are proud of working for a meaningful cause and contributing to a higher purpose every day,” underlines Mauricio Graber.

“However, we are far from done. We still have a long way to go on our sustainability journey, but we sincerely hope that we can use this accolade to raise more awareness of the power and potential of good bacteria as part of a sustainable solution to a number of challenges facing our planet,” he concludes.

Did you know that...?

• Chr. Hansen first published its sustainability commitment in 1949.
• Good bacteria can reduce food waste by making fresh products last longer – naturally.
• Good bacteria are as efficient as chemical pesticides for a number of crops when it comes to protecting them.
• Good bacteria added to feed can contribute to reducing the use of antibiotics in the food chain.
• Probiotic means ‘for life’. Studies show that probiotics may have beneficial effects on gastrointestinal and immune function for people.
• You probably had a bite of Chr. Hansen this morning. We’re in every second cheese and yogurt in the world!

About Corporate Knights
Corporate Knights Inc. includes the sustainable business magazine Corporate Knights and a research division that produces rankings and financial product ratings based on corporate sustainability performance.

About the Global 100 Most Sustainable Corporations in the World: The Global 100 is an annual project initiated by Corporate Knights, the company for clean capitalism. Launched in 2005, the Global 100 is announced annually on the sidelines of the World Economic Forum in Davos.