For us, sustainability means taking responsibility for the environment, the people and the economy of our own organisation, as well as the whole of our value chain. We also work on gradually reducing our overall impact on people and the environment through clear targets all the way along the value chain, for example regarding production, transport, packaging materials and office environments. We then offset the impacts that remain through climate compensation schemes.
ISO 14001 AND ISO 22000 CERTIFIED
Arvid Nordquist is environmentally certified in accordance with ISO 14001. This means that we have identified our environmental impact and produced strategies to mitigate that impact. We are audited every year by independent environmental auditors who monitor targets and our efforts towards attaining them. We are also inspected by independent auditors who check that the amount of coffee we produce matches the amount of Fairtrade, UTZ, Rainforest Alliance and organically certified beans that we purchase. Our customers and consumers can therefore be confident that we are keeping our promises. Arvid Nordquist is also certified in accordance with ISO 22000, a standard for quality management within the food industry. Covering every aspect of food management, it is based on responsibility and communication, with a view to achieving maximum food safety. The certification ensures traceability forwards and backwards along the whole food chain, and the existence of a documented management system. It is important for consumers to be able to trust the food that is produced, and certification to ISO 22000 shows that the company has control over its food safety work.
FOSSIL-FREE OPERATIONS
Arvid Nordquist has signed an agreement with Stockholm Gas and Gasnätet Stockholm that enables the first coffee roastery in Sweden to run on a renewable energy, biogas. Stockholm Gas began supplying biogas for the roasting machines at Arvid Nordquist’s roastery in the first quarter of 2017. On an annual basis, the climate impact has been reduced by 1,100 tonnes of CO2e, equivalent to the emissions from seven million kilometres of driving. At the same time, there has been a reduction in the amount of transport to the roastery in Solna, outside Stockholm.
LONG-TERM RELATIONS
A vital aspect of sustainable coffee production is the ability to secure long-term agreements between purchasers and growers. Signing long-term agreements gives growers a guaranteed income, which allows them to invest in quality development, the environment and working conditions. Arvid Nordquist prefers long-term agreements and currently has around 10 of them in place. We get a guaranteed supply of high-quality coffee beans, produced with consideration for people and the environment, while the growers are able to develop their business and plan for the future. These are key factors in our CSR and quality work.
KNOWLEDGE
All Arvid Nordquist’s employees receive continual training on sustainability issues. We are also keen to expand the knowledge of our customers and consumers. More people can act if they are better informed. We are proud of our sustainability initiatives and are as inspired as ever to continue. We have seen that change is perfectly possible. More and more coffee consumers are switching to Arvid Nordquist Coffee, which is surely as good a sign as any that our work is appreciated.