Resource Efficiency

We work continuously to keep the amount of materials we consume to a minimum and do not use more than necessary to develop, bake and promote tasty fresh products. Regardless of what materials we use, they always require resources to produce and transport, and consuming less saves on the environment, time and money.

For example, we work actively to use less plastic in our packaging and to keep energy consumption to a minimum in our bakeries. 

Sustainable options

Choosing sustainable raw materials is always a priority for our business, not least because the products’ carbon footprint mainly come from our ingredients. That is why Pågen prioritizes Swedish ingredients as far as possible and the flour we bake comes from our own mill – Swedish grain growing nearby and among the cleanest in EU.

Our bread offers a low carbon footprint and contains only vegetable ingredients. Our own sourdough is important for taste and quality and because it is a sustainable alternative. We use only renewable energy in our bakeries and our switch from natural gas to biogas has greatly reduced the part the bakery plays in the carbon footprint of our bread.

Reducing waste

One of the most important sustainability issues in the food industry is to reduce food waste. The vast majority of food waste comes from consumers, which is why we have a strong focus on offering fresh bread with a long shelf-life. We also work with inspiration and information to stop edible bread ending up being thrown away.

We work constantly to minimize the risk of waste in our bakeries and in the shops.

Reuse and recycle

Pågen works with fresh food and a certain amount of leftover product is inevitable. Therefore, it is important to have a cyclic mindset and take care of waste in a sustainable way. A good example of this is our method where we, through a closed system, recycle the leftover dough in the baking. Our salesmen take back unsold bread from the shops on their usual route. Together with waste from the bakery, we recycle everything to bioethanol or animal feed, and all our packaging is completely recyclable.

The waste is often quite high for fresh foods such as bread, fruit & vegetables, meat and dairy products. Compared to many other foods, our bread have very low climate footprint, mainly because they are plant-based and baked with Swedish cereals that are ground in our own mill.

We have joined the The Swedish Food Federation's (Li) sustainability manifesto and are committed to halve food waste by 2030 in our own production and also contribute to reduced food waste in primary production, trade and consumer level. In addition, we have a strong focus on the sustainability work in our operations to be able to offer even more climate-smart bread.

However, as for other fresh food categories, there will always be a certain food waste in the store and we work hard to get as little unsold bread as possible. For example, our salesmen are measured on how small a proportion of return bread they get from a store.

We make sure to constantly improve the planning of store deliveries. For example, consumers demand different types of bread on different weekdays. It is also important that the bread shelf consists of an attractive assortment and that products that sell poorly are removed from the range. In order to reduce waste, it is important to find a balance between consumers being able to find their favorite bread on the shelf, regardless of when you shop, and that there is as little bread waste as possible.

The bread that, after all, is not sold our salesmen take back when they deliver fresh bread to the store - without driving any extra miles. These become part of a sustainable cycle and are recycled to 100%.

PLANT BASED

Few foods have as low climate footprint as bread, which is about the same levels as pasta and legumes. The reason why bread is such a climate-smart food is above all that it contains vegetable ingredients. It is basically only root vegetables that have lower climate footprint.

SWEDISH INGREDIENTS

Our bread is mainly baked with Swedish flour from our own mill, which contributes strongly to the bread's low climate footprint. Grain is a crop that provides a lot of food per cultivated area and Swedish farming are among the most environmentally friendly in the world.

In addition, it takes little energy and water to bake bread and the waste is small in both mills and bakeries. Transport, which is often believed to account for a large proportion of the impact, accounts for only 6% of the total climate footprint of bread.

BREAD A SOURCE OF MANY NUTRITIONs

If you want to eat climate smart, it is good to choose protein from plant based food. Our bread contain around 10% protein and become a climate smart and nutritious meal together with good toppings. Eating bread with every meal is an easy way to fill up energy, dietary fiber, protein, vitamins and minerals.

Half of our breads contain more than 25% whole grains which have several positive health aspects and about a third of our bread are keyhole labeled, a label that is used to help you make healthy food choices.

More about bread and well-being

Pågen has a close and long-term cooperation with a few selected suppliers, which means we can be confident that they are well aware of our requirements. We can also ensure that the raw materials are produced in a sustainable way which we can follow up by a continous dialogue and controls. As we develop new products we carefully evaluate new ingredients and their origin. 

We bake all our bread without preservatives and genetically modified ingredients, and we  generally restrict the use of additives.

We work actively to find packaging solutions that have as little environmental impact as possible. We always evaluate new solutions from a holistic perspective and from a number of sustainability aspects, including:

• Quality, so that the material does not reduce the time bread keeps and create increased food waste.
• The environmental impact of the raw material, that it is energy efficient and sustainably produced, including being sustainable regarding social and ethical issues.
• What happens after the bag has fulfilled its function. That it decomposes or becomes part of a circular flow through recycling.

Recycling

Regardless of which plastic you use, it is important that it can be recycled as there are currently no plastic alternatives that are completely decomposable. All Pågen’s bread bags are already recyclable. Some of the bags are recycled into new material, while the rest goes to energy recovery.

Going forward we hope to recycle more into new material. In the future, we will certainly see bread bags made of recycled plastic, but today European legislation does not allow recycled plastic to be used in direct contact with food. The reason for this is that the recycling process is not closed and controlled, and there is a risk that harmful, non-permitted substances will be included in the recycled plastic.

Reduced consumption

Our goal is to continuously reduce the use of plastic. In recent years we have optimized the strength, format and thickness of our bread bags and switched to thinner materials in the stretch film we use around pallets during loading. 

Renewable and decomposable biomaterials

We are constantly evaluating new packaging materials and our goal is to use renewable and decomposable biomaterials. Fossil-free plastics can for example be made from sugar cane or corn which gives a smaller carbon
footprint.

We believe that the alternatives available today are not sufficiently developed and durable from a holistic perspective – existing renewable biomaterials contain a certain amount of traditional plastic, which means they cannot be decomposed without creating microplastics in nature.

The plastic that is sometimes called decomposable is not yet sufficiently developed to be completely decomposed at normal temperatures in nature.

Pågen actively participates in development work on new packaging solutions and we have joined DLF’s* plastic initiative 2025, with the goal that the plastic packaging of member companies should be able to be used as
packaging material by 2025.

*) DLF Sweden is a trade association for companies that produce or import goods for resale to the grocery retail and foodservice markets in Sweden.

The local environment

Producing food where people live should be something natural. We work actively to minimize noise and emissions to water and air. We also collaborate with other local players in various projects to create sustainable solutions that allow us to cooperate in the local environment.

How we work to prevent food waste in our bakeries

We also reduce transport emissions by switching to newer, more fuel-efficient vehicles or fewer and more efficient trucks. Our salespeople are regulary trained in eco-driving and in efficient planning of vehicle loading.

Our model where we take back unsold bread for recycling works without adding to transport lengths, as our salespeople are in the store every day and can return bread to the bakery or the loading place on their usual round.

Pågen has a collaboration with Sweden’s Haulage Company Association regarding Fair Transport for all purchased domestic transport and transport to Denmark and Norway. Fair Transport is an initiative that involves highlighting transport from responsible haulers who drive safely, think in a climate smart way and offer good working conditions.

We use train transport to France, our largest market for Krisprolls. Krisprolls have longer shelf life and are well suited for train transport.

Our common values are the basis for everything we do and we work with commitment, courage, responsibility and togetherness. Pågen has a zero-tolerance policy against all forms of discrimination, victimization, harassment, threats or violence in our business. We always consider diversity when recruiting, as well as competence based on the needs of the business.

Pågen works actively to counteract work-related ill health and injuries. We also work closely with the occupational health services, which have the opportunity to visit the workplace to help solve any possible problems.

To feel good it is important to be active and do things together, which is why we invest in health-promoting efforts and has a generous wellness contribution for co-workers.