Acting in accordance with our values

The significance of sustainability at Holle

Operating sustainably and making a social commitment have always been part of our company’s fundamental values. For us, this means constantly re-evaluating ecological, social and economic issues in the interests of people and nature. In more than 90 years of company history, our Holle sustainability strategy has helped us to become one of the leading manufacturers of organic food for babies and infants.

We are deeply aware of our responsibility towards each other and the future of our little ones. We have shaped our corporate strategy and orientation to enable us to respond flexibly to changes in the extremely dynamic organic market and thus operate efficiently and successfully.

We create structures that can grow with us

People and the environment have always been at the heart of everything we do. After all, this is the only way to create products that deserve being labelled as ‘sustainable’. Over the years, we have developed our corporate structure to nurture and promote this way of thinking whilst also leaving room for progress.

We

• … assume responsibility for all core tasks, from cultivation and processing to delivery.
• … procure premium raw ingredients – for consistently high quality and safety.
• … maintain long-term, fair partnerships at all levels of value creation.
• … go far beyond the stringent requirements of the baby food sector.
• … develop our recipes in close collaboration with our production partners and align them with nutritional recommendations.
• … constantly inspect our products throughout the entire delivery and production process – with the strictest testing procedures and cutting-edge analytical methods.

Our Sustainability Goals

Sustainable Commitment with Vision

Holle is a traditional Swiss company. Since 1934, we have worked according to biodynamic principles, making us a Demeter pioneer. As a Demeter manufacturer, we shape the future ecologically – for people and nature – while protecting animals, soil, and the environment. With our goals, we continue to take consistent steps towards a future that is friendly to coming generations.
Sustainable from the very beginning.

Our Sustainability Goals for 2024/2025

Goal 1 (Social – Focus Area: Demography)

Holle is an attractive employer for people in different stages of life. Our goal is to be an attractive employer for current and future employees – from training and career entry to family formation, caring for relatives, and aging.
We achieve this through flexible working time and workplace models, corporate health management, and the promotion of lifelong learning. Employee satisfaction is measured every two years through an internal survey.

Goal 2025:
Successful integration into the structure of the new parent company, while maintaining our Holle identity and culture and approaching change positively.
At the end of November, a “pulse check” will be conducted to measure where the organization stands regarding integration. This will help us identify areas where we may need to focus more intensively.
Our goal is for at least 70% of all employees to participate in the survey.

Goal 2024:
The results of the 2024 employee survey reflect employee satisfaction with the areas mentioned above (approval rate of at least 65%).
The trust index in the most recent survey from 2022 was particularly high at 89%.
Our aim is to obtain an honest and differentiated picture of the current mood following the restructuring between Q4/2023 and Q1/2024. Even if the results are lower than before, this target allows for an honest assessment and helps us identify areas for improvement.

Result 2024:
The employee survey achieved an approval rate of 65%. The goal was achieved.
Following the survey, specific measures were developed by employees in a workshop and proposed to management to continuously improve the situation.

Goal 2 (Economy – Action Area Procurement):

Holle is expanding its strategic partnerships in raw material sourcing. After strengthening raw material sourcing in the categories of fruit, vegetables, meat, and grains, our next goal is to expand sourcing in the milk components category. This enables us to better manage the value chain and gain further control over our supply chain (increasing transparency in the supply chain).

Goal 2024/2025: Further expansion of raw material sourcing in the strategically important raw material category “milk component” (goat whole milk powder and cow milk powder):

Milk Component – Goat Whole Milk Powder:
Goal 2025: Achieve 100% control over the goat milk supply chain. This means Holle independently sources the goat milk, has it processed, spray-dried under contract, and sells goat whole milk powder or, in some cases, goat milk to Holle’s infant milk production partner. By eliminating additional stages in the supply chain, efficiency can be increased and transparency along the value chain maintained.

Goal 2024: At least 50% of the goat whole milk powder is supplied to Holle’s infant milk production partner, after being produced 100% in Holle’s own production facility in 2023, which ceased operations at the end of 2023.

Result 2024: The goal of supplying at least 50% was achieved.

Milk Component – Cow Milk Powder:
Goal 2025: Continue the existing setup at 100%, with the aim of direct processing of cow milk at the infant milk producer’s facility. This allows for reduced transport distances and significantly lowers milk losses during production.

Goal 2024: Holle handles the strategic framework agreement 100% directly with the dairy.

Result 2024: For the cow milk powder component, the infant milk producer sources milk directly from long-standing Holle partner dairies for production-related and quality reasons, and processes it into milk powder at its own facility. Operational and commercial handling is carried out directly between the infant milk producer and the dairy cooperatives. Strategic partnership aspects, such as long-term agreements and support and development of the associated farms, are managed between Holle and the dairy cooperatives. The goal was achieved.

Goal 3 (Environment – Action Area Climate and Biodiversity):

Holle produces sustainable goat milk powder. By the end of 2022, as a first step, we converted 11 goat farms from an organic goat milk cooperative in Germany to high-quality Demeter standards. This ensured sufficient goat milk for the 2023 market launch of our Demeter-quality goat milk product range (4 out of 4 products). Biodynamic farming according to Demeter principles promotes humus formation and contributes to healthy soils that effectively bind greenhouse gases – a win for our environment. Through natural fertilization, avoidance of insecticides and herbicides, and the allocation of 10% of usable land for biodiversity measures, Demeter farms promote biodiversity.

Goal 2024/2025: To ensure continued growth in goat milk sourcing, we aim for a continuous increase in the purchase of Demeter goat milk from our existing farms (increase in Demeter goat milk purchases in 2024 vs. 2023 and 2025 vs. 2024: +5% each year).

Result 2024: The closure of Holle’s own production facility at the end of 2023, the subsequent depletion of Demeter goat whole milk powder stock, and the transition period in finding a new production partner led to several months of limited production capacity. During this time, the planned expansion could not be achieved, resulting in a slight reduction of 4.94% – the goal was not achieved.

Our Goals for 2022/2023

Goal 1 (Social)

Holle is an attractive employer for current and future employees.
Our goal was to again achieve an excellent result in the Great Place to Work 2023 competition.
We aimed to maintain the 86% trust index achieved in the 2020 employee survey with the 2022 survey.
An employee survey is conducted every two years.
In terms of ranking, we aimed to continue our success from the last participation in 2021 (2nd place / category Best Small Workplaces Switzerland / 20–49 employees) and achieve a comparable ranking in the next higher category (Best Medium Workplaces Switzerland / 50–249 employees).

Result 2022:
In the 2022 employee survey, we achieved a high trust index of 89%, an improvement over 2020 (86%).
The goal was achieved.

Result 2023:
In the higher category (Best Medium Workplaces Switzerland / 50–249 employees), we achieved 3rd place, a comparable ranking to 2021.
The goal was achieved.

Goal 2 (Economic)

Holle is strengthening its strategic partnerships in raw material sourcing.
The goal is to further expand sourcing in the categories Fruit, Vegetables, Meat, and Grains.
This enables us to better manage the value chain and increase transparency in our supply chain.

Result 2022:
Sourcing in the categories Meat and Grains was further expanded by 15%.
The goal was achieved.
Expansion in Vegetables and Fruit was planned for 2023.

Result 2023:
Sourcing in the categories Meat, Grains, Fruit, and Vegetables reached nearly 90% completion.
No further expansion potential exists in these categories.
The goal was achieved.

Goal 3 (Environment)

Holle produces sustainable goat milk powder.
As a first step, we converted 11 goat farms belonging to a German organic goat milk cooperative to Demeter quality by the end of 2022.
This ensured sufficient goat milk for our products.
For 2023, our goal was to offer our entire range of goat milk products (4 out of 4) in Demeter quality and launch them on the market.

Result 2022:
With the conversion of the 11 goat farms, around 30% of the cooperative’s members were successfully converted, in close cooperation with Holle.
The goal was achieved.

Result 2023:
All 4 out of 4 goat milk products were successfully launched on the market in Demeter quality.
The goal was achieved.

Our Code of Conduct

Holle is committed to responsible and sustainable business. This includes the value-oriented philosophy of an environmentally friendly and socially compatible culture throughout our value chain as well as open and trusting collaboration with our business partners. We have defined the relevant principles and requirements for our business partners in the Holle Code of Conduct. We want them to serve as the basis of relationships between everyone involved in the value chain.
Our Code of Conduct is based on the principles of the International Labour Organisation, the UN Global Compact, the OECD Guidelines, the Universal Declaration of Human Rights of the United Nations, the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child and parts of the German Supply Chain Due Diligence Act. Our Code of Conduct also covers important aspects of environmental protection and animal welfare.

Our awards