ARIMEX CSR 2022: Contributing to Humanity and a Greener Tomorrow
Continuing the annual tradition, the supplier of nuts and dried fruits – Arimex - presented the social responsibility review of 2022, which outlines the most important events of the year in the field of the company's activities in the field of social responsibility. In 2022, the company took important steps forward by finding new solutions for sustainable packaging, continuing its commitment to renewable energy sources, and ensuring the highest production quality. Furthermore, special attention was paid to the formation and promotion of healthy lifestyle habits in the public.
In 2022, Arimex carried out responsible activities based on the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals. The company's priority areas of activity are the quality of production and operational processes, public health, environmentally friendly consumption, sustainable energy, and ensuring economic stability.
"The year 2022 undoubtedly showed how interconnected we are and how strong we become when we join forces. Each challenge we faced allowed us to see clearer than ever and appreciate how committed we truly are to each other and our communities. We are happy to say that the entire team of Arimex has not remained indifferent in the face of all the difficult changes the year has brought. When the war broke out, social initiatives took on special importance: we consistently provided support to Ukraine and encouraged community engagement through newly introduced employee volunteering initiatives. Despite the period of the energy crisis, last year we devoted our attention largely to supporting nature conservation solutions: we started developing the solar power plant project, discovered an environmentally friendly packaging solution, increased the possibilities of moving sustainably in the city of Vilnius, continued zero-emission programs", - the CEO and founder of Arimex - Arnas Jurskis - names the most important works of the past year.
Environmentally friendly packaging
The sustainable packaging solution for Arimex products can be considered one of the most important achievements of 2022. The research and search for it lasted almost two years.
"Sustainable product packaging has been our goal for many years in order to strengthen the sustainable supply chain. However, we faced great challenges in this area. Our goal was to create a package that was transparent, able to adequately maintain an oxygen-free atmosphere, suitable for the manufacturing process, and cost-effective. Last year, after a lengthy two-year search and many tests with different manufacturers, we managed to create a package that meets our quality requirements for the first time", says Audrius Janiūnas, COO of Arimex, about the news.
The new sustainable packaging is made from 100% recyclable plastic. This solution enables us to save about 10% of costs on energy used in the production process. Research shows that recyclable packaging reduces carbon footprint by up to 30%.
"A sustainable supply chain is a continuous process and our long-term goal. We are well aware of the importance of sustainable packaging in this process. Since the transparent film is part of the Arimex brand identity that allows our consumers to see the products inside and evaluate the quality for themselves, our next step is to further improve the transparency of recyclable packaging. At the moment, the new packaging has been introduced to the Scandinavian market, we hope that after achieving better film transparency results, we will be able to present this opportunity in the Baltic countries as well", emphasizes A. Janiūnas.
A priority for sustainable energy
Decisions made at the very beginning of Arimex's activity on the conservation of natural resources, related to the use of green electricity, and reducing the amount of gas and CO2 for room and water heating, allowed us to confidently face the challenges caused by the energy crisis last year. Supporting these solutions in order to ensure the 100% use of green electricity and the zero-emission program for hot water production are among the most important priorities of sustainable operations in 2023.
Also, one of the priorities is the solar power plant installation project the implementation of which began in 2022. It is planned that the 500kW solar power plant will start operating in 2024 and will ensure 100% ecological use of electricity.
Motivation to live healthier
As every year, last year special attention was paid to ensuring the highest quality of Arimex production. The company's commitment to food safety, in line with global best practices, has been confirmed for the third year in a row by the highest BRCGS AA level certification standard.
The year 2022 was marked by Arimex's significant contribution to the development of healthy lifestyle habits in society. In the field of quality, a consumer education campaign was initiated last year, during which people were encouraged to learn to recognize the quality of nuts. To get even more feedback from Arimex users, a nut lovers club GO NUTS! was founded.
The company became the general sponsor of 7 national sports federations, as well as initiating and contributing to more than 100 healthy lifestyle activities for the public, attracting more than 21 thousand participants.
The values of a high-quality lifestyle continue to be fostered within the company: employees covered more than 10 000 km by bicycle this year by choosing this method to go to work, and the company's female cycling team participated in the 100 km women's race "Minam100". In total, employees had the opportunity to participate in 30 healthy lifestyle events.
A contribution to humanity in the face of war
In the face of war, Arimex supported Ukraine by providing products to more than 40 000 Ukrainian children and soldiers. The company continued its obligations by stopping the import of raw materials from Russia, actively providing assistance to NGOs supporting Ukraine, and when the opportunity arose to buy raw materials from Ukraine, priority was given to this country.
In the face of difficulties, Arimex did not forget the organization that has been continuously supported for more than 27 years - Save the Children. This friendship has been tested by both time and hardships - Arimex is the only partner of Save the Children that has shared its kindness with the children of Lithuania all these years without interruption.
Last year, the company's employees, on their own initiative, decided to help a grandmother living in Širvintos district, who is raising five grandchildren alone: "A painful family history touched each of us - the loss of dad left the family to live in a completely wind-swept house with extremely poorly insulated windows, where the children had to sleep in cold rooms. Together with the employees, we formed a team of volunteers and without waiting for anything, we started the most necessary work: we ordered and installed new windows, plastered the facade of the house, and made other necessary corrections. Also, we provided the family with the necessary things. The most important thing for us is that children feel safe and know that they are not alone even in difficult times, that they see a good example and develop the right values. And for us, this initiative of ours united the team even more. It's great to feel the motivation with which the work is being done and to see the result", says Raimundas Tursa, Arimex's sales manager for Scandinavian countries who performed the functions of project manager, about the most important social project of last year.
You can read more about Arimex's social responsibility initiatives implemented last year in ARIMEX Social Responsibility Report 2022 here.
