We have good opportunities to promote biodiversity in our long value chain from farms to consumers. For example, efficient water use and careful wastewater treatment support biodiversity. A key element in our biodiversity work is engaging contract farms in cooperation through regenerative farming methods and measures to reduce nutrient loading into water. Biodiversity is part of our responsibility program.
Meat production requires the use of land for growing feed crops and grazing, and the use of fertilisers and livestock manure contributes to the eutrophication of water bodies. We promote measures that support biodiversity throughout our value chain through regenerative farming practices, responsible sourcing, efficient water use and wastewater treatment, as well as research projects. We engage in long-term cooperation with our contract producers by developing and testing practices aimed at reducing the adverse impacts of food production on biodiversity at different stages of the food value chain.
We digitize environmental impact calculation in primary production
Our environmental impact calculation system for primary production helps identify the key environmental impacts of our operations, enabling development measures to be targeted more effectively at farm level. The system includes a biodiversity coefficient for broiler and pork, as well as eutrophication and acidification impacts for beef.
We have developed our primary production environmental impact calculation system by digitizing the lifecycle models of the Natural Resources Institute Finland (Luke) for pork, poultry, and field crops. The system enables continuous calculation of water and carbon footprints and biodiversity impacts of primary production, as well as more reliable reporting. Farms can review their main climate impacts in the producer portal and receive recommendations for reducing emissions.
In addition, we have taken into use a carbon footprint calculation model for the cattle chain. Valio’s Carbo® Environment Calculator is a tool developed for assessing environmental impacts in the Finnish dairy and meat sector, providing Finnish dairy and meat producers with a common national standard for the carbon footprint calculation.
Water protection in the Archipelago Sea catchment area
Some of our farms are located in the Archipelago Sea catchment area in Finland, where we aim to help reduce agricultural nutrient leakage into waterways together with our contract farms. We have already mapped farms in the area and actions to prevent eutrophication. In our responsibility programme 2026–2028, we promote measures in the catchment area in line with the water protection action plan with selected broiler and pig farms. The action plan support the national Archipelago Sea project.
HKFoods has also joined the Archipelago Sea Partnership project launched in 2026, led by the John Nurminen Foundation. The project brings together the food industry, retailers, agricultural producers and experts to reduce impacts of agriculture on water bodies in the Archipelago Sea catchment areas. Expert advice and support are provided to farms to enable them to implement water protection measures that are tailored to their specific fields and have the greatest possible impact. The aim is to reduce nutrient runoff from fields into water bodies and improve soil fertility, among others. The project will begin in late 2026, with measures on farms starting in spring 2027.The goal is for approximately 20 of HKFoods’ contract producers to participate in the project.
Certified soy
Most of the feed used in our value chain for raising animals is locally grown grain and forage. Soy is used in poultry and pork feed. In Finland, only sustainability-certified soy is used, and we aim to increasingly replace soy with domestic protein sources. We approve the following soy certificates: RTRS, ProTerra, Donau soja/Europe soya, EU-organic, IFOAM and other third party verified soy according the Swedish Soy Dialogue criteria. We mainly use RTRS and ProTerra certifications.
Through the implementation of our procurement principles, we aim to reduce the impacts of raw material production on biodiversity loss. Using helps promote sustainability throughout the raw material supply chain and ensures that producers have been audited in accordance with the requirements of the relevant certification schemes.
The upcoming EU Deforestation Regulation applies to our beef products, soy, palm oil, and wood-based products. We must ensure that our beef products comply with the regulation and have not been produced on land subject to deforestation. We are responsible for managing traceability data for beef, soy, palm oil, and wood-based products in line with due diligence obligations.
Responsibility programme 2026–2028 targets
| BIODIVERSITY | Target year | 2025 | |
| A more extensive and systematic survey of the environmental impact of primary production by introducing an environmental impact calculation system on broiler, pig and cattle farms | The environmental impact calculation of primary production covers > 80% of the procurement volumes of broiler, pig and cattle (Calculated based on settlement kilograms. Includes a biodiversity coefficient for broilers and pigs, and eutrophication and acidification impact factors for cattle) |
2028 | 11% |
| Assessment of the agricultural water pollution load from contract farms and reduction of its impacts in the Archipelago Sea catchment area | The measures are progressing on the pilot farms in accordance with the plan prepared for the years 2026–2028 | 2028 | The assessment has been conducted and an action plan on the pilot farms has been drawn up |
| Operating in accordance with the EU Deforestation Regulation (EUDR): raw materials that have caused deforestation or degraded the condition of forests are not used in production after the regulation enters into force (Statutory target) | 100% of the products covered by the regulation meet its requirements. The timetable is determined by the date on which the regulation enters into force. (At HKFoods, this applies to beef, soy, palm oil, wood and rubber, as well as products made from these materials) |
The process and data collection system to verify the origin of beef and to fulfil the due diligence requirements prepared. As the implementation of the regulation was postponed, the process and system have not yet been deployed. |
