The production of infant formula depends on a stable, natural environment that provides us with healthy raw materials. At the same time, we need a lot of energy and water to produce our products. How can we marry the two?

At HOCHDORF, we regularly scrutinise our production and work processes in terms of sustainability and the origin of the ingredients we use.

Wherever possible, we try to purchase our raw materials to ensure that the transport routes are as short as possible. Our state-of-the-art facilities now mean we can now also produce raw materials and additives that we previously had to purchase. This significantly reduces the number of daily freight journeys and the associated CO2 emissions.

Checking the ecology of production processes

One of our internal sustainability projects, for example, deals with the ingredients we use in infant formula. It looked at one ingredient in our formulations that we previously used mostly in powder form. Starting with a powder meant that we dissolved the ingredient again with water – before using it in our infant formula production process and drying it again.

Our Innovation and Research & Development team painstakingly changed this process. The end product had to maintain the same high quality standards so multiple trials and countless tests were necessary to put this into practice. In the meantime, this new production process has now become established for our infant formula, cutting out one drying process.

Water consumption reduced by almost 2 million litres per year

As well as reducing energy, the new production process also saves a large amount of water. Based on our current annual production volume of baby food, drinking water consumption is reduced by around 2 million litres – a positive achievement.

The success of such projects always motivates us to do our best to protect our environment as much as possible for future generations. We owe it to all of us.