Sustainable Products

Sustainable AGRANA products in accordance
with the EU-Taxonomy

In summer 2020, the European Union adopted the Taxonomy Regulation (Reg (EU) 2020/852), which defines criteria for reporting revenues, investments and operating expenses from or in sustainable economic activities. To be considered sustainable, economic activities must serve one of six EU environmental objectives – climate change mitigation, adaptation to climate change, sustainable use of water resources, transition to a circular economy, pollution prevention, or protection of ecosystems and biodiversity – without significantly compromising any of the other five. In addition, they must meet minimum social standards. For the 2022|23 financial year, the reporting of EU Taxonomy-aligned and -eligible revenue (“turnover”), capital expenditure (CapEx, or investment) and operating expenditure (OpEx, or operating expenses), as key performance indicators or KPIs, is limited to the economic activities identified under the two goals of climate change mitigation (EU objective 1) and climate change adaptation (EU objective 2).

The determination of Taxonomy-eligible or -aligned revenue, investment and operating expenses was carried out through the assessment under the technical screening criteria as well as the DNSH criteria and the minimum social safeguards (Article 18 of the Taxonomy Regulation), in collaboration with the persons responsible for technology at the respective production sites as well as the controllership, finance, compliance and sustainability functions at the site, segment and Group levels. The AGRANA Group avoids any type of double counting by evaluating the data for each performance indicator separately from each other.

Taxonomy-aligned or -eligible revenue in 2022|23

As the current EU Taxonomy rules do not yet address economic activities in the production of food and beverages or food ingredients, 92.3% of the AGRANA Group’s revenue in 2022|23 did not yet fall within the scope of the EU Taxonomy. For the 2022|23 financial year, the AGRANA Group is able to report EU Taxonomy-aligned or Taxonomy-eligible revenue solely from its business activities under “3.17. Manufacture of plastics in primary forms” (production of thermoplastic starch at the facility in Gmünd, Austria), “4.13. Production of biogas and biofuels for transport and liquid biofuels” (bioethanol production at the site in Pischelsdorf, Austria), “5.7. Anaerobic digestion of biowaste” (biogas production, processing and injection of biomethane into the local natural gas grid at the site of the Kaposvár sugar factory in Hungary).

Taxonomy-aligned or -eligible capital expenditure in 2022|23

Of the AGRANA Group’s total investment in the year under review, only 13.8% was within the current scope of the EU Taxonomy. EU Taxonomy-eligible capital expenditure in AGRANA’s business activities in the 2022|23 financial year was related to investment under, among others, the economic activities “4.25. Production of heat/cool using waste heat” (i.e., generation of heat/cold using waste heat), “5.3. Construction, extension and operation of wastewater collection and treatment”, “5.1. Construction, extension and operation of water collection, treatment and supply systems”, “7.2. Renovation of existing buildings” and “7.3. Installation, maintenance and repair of energy efficiency equipment". The sum of these investment expenditures represents the numerator of the KPI.

Taxonomy-aligned or -eligible operating expenses in 2022|23

The EU Taxonomy’s definition of operating expenditure (OpEx) is limited to the areas of repair and maintenance, expenses for short-term leases, building renovation, research and development, and training. As a result, only € 96.6 million of the operating expenses in the 2022|23 financial year fell within the scope of the EU Taxonomy. EU Taxonomy-aligned operating expenses were limited to those under the economic activity “4.25. Production of heat/cool using waste heat”.

Organic products in all business segments – Organic is more than just a trend

At AGRANA, we were early to identify the steadily growing levels of awareness among consumers with regard to sustainability and health as well as the rising demand for organic products. We offer organic products in all of our business segments; products which are certified by independent monitoring agencies.