Further measures to combat direct emissions
Building with Minergie A certificate
Our office building, built using Swiss wood, has received the highest construction accreditation: the Minergie A certificate. This label is awarded to buildings that produce more energy than they consume, known as ‘energy-positive’ buildings.
Energy recovery
All the energy used for heating and cooling has been generated by two groundwater heat pumps, each with an output of 65 kW, since 2010. The cold generated by the nitrogen evaporator cools the refrigerated warehouse. The pneumatic compressors and cooling plants are used to recover waste heat.
The nitrogen evaporator, which evaporates the liquid nitrogen (-180°C) and heats it up to 10°C, is located in the cold cellar and extracts the necessary heat from it.
The air compressors use the waste heat to heat the hot water circulation and the heat storage system.
High-emission production processes
Most of the emissions we cause are caused by baking our popular crunchy Müesli, which involves propane gas being burned. We conducted a broad-based energy study to find ways to generate process heat with a carbon-neutral energy source instead of propane gas.
In 2025, we will switch one of our three belt furnace lines to electric heating, fuelled by naturemade star green electricity. We measure the amount of these direct gases released so we can undertake further optimisations.
We also cause emissions when roasting our nuts in the roasting plant, though we are aiming to reduce these in the foreseeable future. At present, we are evaluating which kind of green energy can be used to heat a new roaster.
Environmentally conscious employees
We regularly offer our employees training on environmentally friendly behaviour. Saving electricity is part of everyday life for everyone.
With the ‘Ökospass’ programme, we encourage employees to commute to work in an environmentally friendly way, whether by public transport, on foot, by bike or by car-sharing. Employees also receive the SwissPass free of charge.
As an additional incentive, we organise an annual company excursion that revolves around an environmental theme (e.g. a trip to a drinking water power plant or a visit to a beekeeper).
We’ve been offering charging stations for e-bikes and e-cars – for use by employees, visitors and customers – since 2018.