Focus on climate, environment, and raw materials

For more than 160 years and therefore many generations – and by now in about 80 countries around the world – Ludwig Schokolade has been delighting connoisseurs with numerous brands and products. As part of the KRÜGER GROUP and thus of a family-owned company, it is our tradition and responsibility to ensure the well-being of future generations. That is why sustainability is so important to us. You can find more information on our commitment to sustainability here.


Climate protection

Climate
protection

Especially in the fight against climate change, it is important to act today in order to preserve the planet for future generations. And we accept this responsibility. The first step is to reduce energy consumption. Some of our plants achieve this with an energy management system, among other things. We have also switched several plants to 100 percent green electricity and operate an efficient combined heat and power plant. We have made production climate-neutral for some of our private label products already by carbon offsetting. Our long-term objective is to achieve climate neutrality for the company. Throughout the KRÜGER GROUP, we account for greenhouse gas emissions and reductions in accordance with the GHG Protocol in all three scopes during the accounting year 2022.

Environmental
protection

Environmental
protection

Chocolate products and confectioneries are sensitive products that must be ideally protected for the period from production to transport to consumption – throughout the entire minimum shelf life. This guarantees enjoyment and food safety and prevents food waste from packaging that does not adequately protect the product. After all, the most crucial task of packaging is to ensure that products can be consumed with enjoyment during the entire shelf life. Since this requires high-performance packaging, the objectives conflict with sustainability. However, we are working hard to increase packaging recyclability while maintaining optimal product protection. We have achieved first successes here.

Raw materials

Raw materials

The basis for the highest enjoyment are choice raw materials. We use established certifications, the solution-oriented cocoa sustainability program cocoa commitment, and we are involved in sustainability institutions. For us, the sustainability of raw materials like cocoa and palm oil means that families in the countries of origin can make a good living from cultivation while at the same time trading in a manner that is compatible with nature – also in view of the livelihoods of future generations. We keep excellent quality and social responsibility in mind for our raw materials.

cocoa
commitment

cocoa
commitment

cocoa commitment is our own solution-oriented sustainability program for fair trade, which considers the entire cocoa supply chain: From the living conditions of farmers to eco-friendly farming methods and the end product. cocoa commitment builds on established standards such as Rainforest Alliance and Fairtrade, and supplements these with further measures around environmental protection and the improvement of people’s living conditions.

Plant-based
alternatives

Plant-based
alternatives

According to a 2021 IRi shopper study, “vegan” is already a very important product characteristic for 14.4 percent of consumers.1 With plant-based alternatives, we offer consumers choices for an even more sustainable lifestyle. We produce both chocolates and sweets from purely vegetable ingredients, for example the brands Schogetten and FRITT, but also block chocolates and couvertures for private labels. To provide clear orientation for consumers, most of our products for the European Union markets are marked with the “vegan” variant of the V-Label. We use alternative labels in other countries.

1Snack/cereal/energy bars IRI shopper study, part 3; april 2021; n = 1.602

Sustainability
is cooperation

Efforts to increase sustainability must be tightly knit to avoid conflicts between the effects of individual measures and to achieve objectives more quickly. That is why we are working on all dimensions of sustainability simultaneously: climate protection, environmental protection, and social responsibility. In some areas, success can be achieved more quickly; in others, the processes of change take years to complete.

Sustainability is a
generation topic

Sustainability plays a major role in all our thoughts and actions. We want future generations to also be able to enjoy our products. This makes it imperative that we act in an environmentally compatible manner along the entire value chain and that all those involved can make a living from production together with their families – from the cocoa farmers in Africa to our production workers here. This is possible only if we treat our planet and its resources with care and take social responsibility seriously.

Sustainability is cooperation

Efforts to increase sustainability must be tightly knit to avoid conflicts between the effects of individual measures and to achieve objectives more quickly. That is why we are working on all dimensions of sustainability simultaneously: climate protection, environmental protection, and social responsibility. In some areas, success can be achieved more quickly; in others, the processes of change take years to complete.

Sustainability is a
generation topic

Sustainability plays a major role in all our thoughts and actions. We want future generations to also be able to enjoy our products. This makes it imperative that we act in an environmentally compatible manner along the entire value chain and that all those involved can make a living from production together with their families – from the cocoa farmers in Africa to our production workers here. This is possible only if we treat our planet and its resources with care and take social responsibility seriously.

Efforts to increase sustainability must be tightly knit to avoid conflicts between the effects of individual measures and to achieve objectives more quickly. That is why we are working on all dimensions of sustainability simultaneously: climate protection, environmental protection, and social responsibility. In some areas, success can be achieved more quickly; in others, the processes of change take years to complete.

Sustainability plays a major role in all our thoughts and actions. We want future generations to also be able to enjoy our products. This makes it imperative that we act in an environmentally compatible manner along the entire value chain and that all those involved can make a living from production together with their families – from the cocoa farmers in Africa to our production workers here. This is possible only if we treat our planet and its resources with care and take social responsibility seriously.