Hartwall has today released its first extensive report that sheds light on its corporate responsibility. By releasing this report, Hartwall demonstrates its responsibility on the crosscutting impact of its business activities and opens dialogue on the importance of shouldering responsibility irrespective of business cycles.
“Hartwall has acted responsibly and worked to foster responsible corporate activities for decades. Our long tradition has instilled responsible ways of working as part of our normal practices. However, we intend to further advance our own activities and to become Finland’s most responsible company in the brewing industry. The report gives us the opportunity to review where we have succeeded and where there is room for improvement, and it challenges us to further develop our ways of working as well as to set new objectives. At the same time, it opens up dialogue with our stakeholders," says Yrjö Närhinen, Hartwall’s managing director.
Hartwall’s responsible way of working also strongly supports its parent company Heineken’s active role in developing and fostering its responsible corporate activities.
Small ecological footprint
The report examines the beverage company’s successes from 2007–2008 and lists the areas where there is room for improvement. It describes the ways that Hartwall consciously works to reduce its ecological footprint. The company’s Lahti production plant is already a pioneer in energy savings, and its use of biowaste will take it a step further when the energy company St1’s bioethanol production facility at Hartwall Lahti goes on line in June.
Other successes during the report period include the extremely high level of recycling, the measures taken to boost staff occupational wellbeing, and the addition of GDA labelling on non-alcoholic products. Areas for further improvement include mapping out the specific environmental impacts of packaging alternatives, improving the recycling of office waste and more efficient energy consumption.
Ongoing work to foster a responsible drinking culture
Hartwall promotes the responsible enjoyment of its products in many ways. Comprehensively presented product information helps consumers make informed choices. Hartwall has questioned the culture of drinking for the sole purpose of getting drunk and its social acceptability through the ‘Drunk, you’re a fool’ campaign launched in cooperation with other members of the Federation of the Brewing and Soft Drinks Industry. The campaign has aroused a great deal of debate, and the Finnish Centre for Health Promotion recently awarded the campaign with the 2008 Health Promotion Act of the Year.
“This recognition encourages us to continue the work to promote the responsible consumption of alcohol, especially among young people. We want to carry out this work with all the actors in the industry,” says Mr Närhinen.
Responsible Hartwall available online
Hartwall’s report on its responsibility is also available online. The section on Responsible Hartwall summarises in Finnish and English the key issues of the financial, social and environmental responsibilities handled in the printed version of the report.
For further information please contact:
Hartwall Ltd, Managing Director Yrjö Närhinen, tel. +358 20 717 2327 or Communications Manager Tuija Kleimola, tel. +35 20 717 2595
To order a copy of the report, send an email to Siv Välimäki, siv.valimaki@hartwall.fi