Responsible company
Our responsibility

Responsible company

Arla is a farmer-owned global business. For us, it is a given that profitability and responsible business practices go hand in hand, whether buying or selling. It takes commitment, collaboration and integrity.

Responsible sourcing

Currently 95% of our preferred suppliers have signed our Code of Conduct for suppliers and Business Partners.

Progress:

  • 86% of the palm oil purchased during 2021 was segregated and certified according to the RSPO (Round table for Sustainable Palm Oil), the share of certified mass-balance was 13%, and 1% was covered by RSPO-credits due to lack of availability of segregated certified products in some markets.
  • All the cocoa used by Arla® and Cocio® for branded products is UTZ certified.
  • All the soy used at Arla farms is either organic, ProTerra certified, RTRS (Round table Responsible Soy) or covered by RTRS certificates.
Responsible sourcing

Responsible marketing

We know that consumers are exposed to a large amount of advertising every day and as a popular dairy producer our products are often central to the lives and tables of our consumers. It is therefore our commitment and responsibility to ensure that all of our products and brands are responsibly marketed; ensuring that our consumers are informed to make the decisions and enjoy our products as part of a balanced and sustainable diet.

On top of this we have chosen to make special provision for children under 18 years of age; committing that we will not market any of our products that do not meet Health Star Rating ≥3.5, which is defined as healthy to children under 18 years of age.

As Arla Foods is a member of many industry bodies in different markets; this includes the EU Pledge, we have an additional tier for 12 years old now extended to under 13 years in alignment with the EU Pledge enhance commitment 2021.

The EU Pledge is  a voluntary initiative by leading food and beverage companies to change the way they advertise to children. This is a response from industry leaders to calls made by the EU institutions for the food industry to use commercial communications to support parents in making the right diet and lifestyle choices for their children.

Responsible marketing

Responsible political engagement

As a leading global dairy cooperative, Arla Foods has a responsibility to engage with political stakeholders in an open and transparent way.

We want to ensure there is political support for the dairy sector globally and to facilitate the continuous development of innovative, nutritious and sustainable dairy products that are part of a balanced diet.

Responsible political engagement

Responsible business partners

Arla Foods are dedicated to developing its business responsibly and to act credibly and with integrity in all of its operations. We only do business and enter into contracts with Business Partners who comply with the law in the countries where they operate and who respect and support internationally recognized human rights. We also expect all of our Business Partners to acknowledge their social and environmental responsibilities and to live up to our Code of Conduct for Suppliers and Business Partners.

Responsible business partners

Anti-corruption and bribery

We take a zero-tolerance approach to bribery and corruption and are committed to acting professionally, fairly and with integrity in all our business dealings and relationships wherever we operate.

We have a global anti-bribery directive which sets out the responsibilities in observing and upholding our position on bribery and corruption, and provides information and guidance on how to recognise and deal with bribery and corruption issues. This directive applies to anyone who works for us or on our behalf in any capacity.

Progress:

  • We continue to strengthen our initiatives and have compulsory e-learning for all office colleagues, and in-depth face-to-face training for relevant colleagues. 
  • We address anti-bribery specifically with our suppliers. 
  • We have had zero convictions.
Read Arla's anti-bribery directive

Responsible labelling

Our labelling policy reflects our commitment to enabling consumers to make better informed choices about the food they eat.

We have developed a global approach & standard to our nutrition labelling so we are transparent about the nutritional composition of our products and only support local labelling schemes where they help the consumer.

Responsible labelling

Farmer owned

Dairy farmers own Arla. It is our objective to help them obtain the highest possible price for their milk by optimizing the use of raw materials, capital and human resources.

Farmer owned