2023: Sustainable Farming and Expanded Emissions Calculation

Sustainability at Helsinki Mills has three priorities to help us achieve our pledge. We aim to offer healthy and responsible plant-based food solutions for various diets.

The first priority is the environment, with the goal of building an increasingly sustainable food system. Through climate action, we ensure that farming will still be possible 100 years from now.

The second priority is procurement. We ensure the sustainability of the raw materials used to make our products.

The third priority is people and society. Through responsible HR policy and management, we ensure a healthy and well-balanced lifestyle for everyone working at the mill.

In 2023, the Myllärin brand was featured in the Sustainable Brand Index study for the first time, achieving an impressive 19th place.

Processed 100% Finnish Grains

The 2023 Sustainability Report highlights several concrete achievements. Our core raw material is locally grown Finnish grain, and in 2023, all the grain we processed was 100% Finnish. For the first time, we calculated our Scope 3 emissions and installed electric car charging points at our facilities.

We selected new logistics partners based on their own sustainability programmes and their ability to provide emissions data. We also started a collaboration with fertilizer producer Yara, utilizing oat hulls generated as a by-product of our milling process in Yara’s recycled fertilizers.

In terms of sustainable raw materials, work towards environmentally friendly farming has progressed as planned. The second oat harvest under the sustainable farming programme was completed, and the first “smarter farmed” Oats 2.0 harvest was grown at the Mäki-Latvala farm. We reduced raw material procurement from countries identified as high-risk and decided to switch to FSC-certified cardboard packaging from 2024 onwards.

On the social responsibility side, 2023 brought visible results for both our employees and other stakeholders. We introduced a Whistle Blowing channel and, in collaboration with Venner, ran a campaign in the Vegemi activity book to promote vegetable consumption among children. To date, 25 mill employees have taken advantage of the employee bike benefit introduced in 2022.

Responsibility is also about sharing the good. In 2023, we made a €10,000 donation to Save the Children and provided housewarming product bags to students in the Helsinki, Vaasa, and Tampere regions in collaboration with HOAS, VOAS, and TOAS. We also participated in three Yrityskylä initiatives, where schoolchildren learned about food production and the role of a master miller.

In 2023, we were the fifth-largest corporate taxpayer in Järvenpää. We paid €194,020 in income taxes and invested €0.85 million in Finland.

READ MORE: SUSTAINABILITY REPORT 2023 SUSTAINABILITY REPORT 2022 SUSTAINABILITY REPORT 2021 SUSTAINABILITY REPORT 2020