Although business activity increased Chr. Hansen reduced its consumption of raw materials and energy in 2008 hereby reducing its impact on the environment. At the same time the total amount of waste water and solid waste decreased together with the emission of CO2. In addition there has been a shift towards the more environmentally friendly natural gas, while the consumption of oil was reduced.

These are some of the good news in Chr. Hansen’s global environmental report for the financial year of 2008, which has just been published.

The report covers 26 sites.

Reduction of carbon footprint
A major focus area has been the reduction of our carbon footprint in the form of CO2 emissions.

We work with a range of instruments to continuously improve our own and our customers’ resource efficiency. One tool is the switch to more environmentally efficient energy sources.

Another is the development of high performing products improving customers’ yield while reducing resource consumption.

Moving production closer to the customer
And a third example is moving closer to the customer. When Chr. Hansen moved the production of cultures from one continent to another – closer to the customer - the annual CO2 emission was reduced by approximately 1,800 tons equal to the emission of 180 households per year.

The transport chain was reduced significantly, eliminating the need for transcontinental transportation by airplane. Also the need for transportation by truck is considerably reduced.

Building a sustainable business
This year Chr. Hansen established a Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) organization. The objective is to establish procedures and positions to monitor on the impact its business has on the surrounding society.

“We have developed a four year strategy with specific objectives relating to our impact on the climate, utilization of natural resources and our social involvement,” says Lars Frederiksen, CEO, Chr. Hansen.

“In the coming years we will continue to strengthen our CSR platform. We see it as a way to create value for the company, our employees and the society we are part of,” he concludes.

For further information on this press release, please contact:

Helle Rexen
Communications Consultant, Corporate Communications, Chr. Hansen
Telephone: +45 45 74 76 36
E-mail: [email protected]

Henriette Oellgaard
CSR Manager, Chr. Hansen
Telephone: +45 45 74 70 41
Mobile: +45 2249 5163
E-mail: [email protected]

About Chr. Hansen
Chr. Hansen is a global biotechnology company that provides natural ingredients to the food, dairy, dietary supplements, and agricultural industries. The company is a leading supplier of food cultures, probiotics, enzymes, colors and functional systems which are applied in foods and beverages, dietary supplements and agricultural products. For more information, please visit www.chr-hansen.com.