Sustainability
From field to your health
Download our sustainability reports
Being a personal concern of company founder Stefan Dürr, sustainability has been understood to be the natural basis of the company’s actions from the very beginning. Important aspects such as social responsibility and corporate citizenship, animal welfare, environmental awareness as well as diversity and equal opportunities in the training and qualification of employees serve as our guidelines.
Moreover, Ekosem-Agrar is a pioneer in organic farming in Russia and was the first company ever to export organic products to Western Europe.
In line with the motto “Do good and talk about it”, the Management Board of Ekosem-Agrar AG decided in 2020 to develop a sustainability strategy as an integral element of its corporate strategy.
For this purpose, based on a stakeholder survey and materiality analysis, we have developed four fields of action for us:
• Rural areas – We strive to ensure that people in the communities remain close to our companies by offering them pleasant living conditions and promoting their social well-being.
• Healthy animals and healthy food – The well-being of our animals is a decisive factor for the milk yield and the consistent quality of our raw milk. As a leading company in raw milk production in Russia and Europe, Ekosem-Agrar takes this responsibility seriously and wants to make an important contribution to sustainable dairy farming.
• Employees – Ekosem-Agrar is continuously strengthening its position as one of the largest employers in Russian agriculture. This includes the continuous development of its employees, also through the implementation of targeted training programmes.
• Natural resources – Climate protection, the careful use of natural resources, the promotion of biodiversity and the careful treatment of the environment are fundamental factors in the Group's efficient performance.
Corresponding Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) were assigned to each of these four fields of action and specific sustainability goals and measures were then developed in consultation with the respective area managers.
In 2021, this strategy was implemented and brought to life by creating an organisational structure for sustainability management. This involved appointing Sustainability Officers at various levels of the company in order to establish the necessary processes and to be able to report regularly and transparently on the progress made in achieving the goals. Ekosem-Agrar published its first sustainability report in accordance with the globally recognised GRI standards in June 2021. The second GRI report for 2021 followed in February 2023.
“As a major producer of food and one of the largest companies in the industry in Russia, we have a responsibility to operate sustainably for the benefit of the entire society, our employees, business partners, customers and investors. We want to live up to this responsibility and intend to provide transparent and measurable information on the sustainability criteria that are relevant to our business going forward.”
Stefan Dürr, Sole Member of the Management Board of Ekosem-Agrar AG