3.12 Waste

The Emmi Group defines waste as inorganic substances that are generated as part of its own production processes and either recycled or disposed of safely and properly, whether by incineration, landfill or as hazardous waste in accordance with applicable regulations. Avoiding inorganic waste from its own production processes is relevant for the Emmi Group for economic and environmental reasons. For one thing, it results in savings in disposal costs, but it also allows valuable resources to be conserved, used more efficiently and – if possible – returned to the cycle through recycling. Organic waste is dealt with in section 3.10 Food waste.

3.12.1 Impact on the environment and society, and opportunities and risks

Inorganic waste that is improperly disposed of poses a significant challenge to the environment and society as well as to human and animal health: open landfills and illegal waste dumping release large amounts of climate-damaging methane gas, significantly contributing to global warming (Maasakkers et al., 2022). If waste enters landfill, it can pollute groundwater, consume large areas and lead to greenhouse gas emissions and air pollution. By reducing materials, reducing waste and switching to reusable solutions or recyclable materials, the amount of waste that needs to be landfilled can be reduced.

Plastic waste pollutes the oceans and other ecosystems. Microplastic also enters the food chain. Toxic substances entering the soil and groundwater pose significant health risks, both for humans and animals. The loss of valuable raw materials that – although possible – are not recycled or reused also leads to high costs, both directly (procurement and disposal costs) and indirectly (overuse of natural resources).

Operational inorganic waste can be managed by the Emmi Group itself, making it an important factor in improving both resource and cost efficiency. The Emmi Group can reduce the amount of waste by implementing circular economy principles and the associated promotion of recycling and reuse of materials. As a result, valuable resources required for production processes can be conserved and operating costs can be reduced.

If the legal requirements for waste disposal and prevention are expanded due to the violation of applicable waste regulations, this can lead to internal process adjustments and thus to significant additional costs for the companies. Failure to implement sustainable practices can also cause image problems and negatively impact consumer confidence in the Emmi Group, its products and the brand. In order to prevent these risks, the company relies on consistent compliance with legal requirements and environmental regulations, as well as on safe and proper disposal in accordance with local requirements and possibilities.

3.12.2 Management approach and goals

Reduce avoidable waste

When it comes to dealing with waste, the Emmi Group’s credo is: “avoid, reduce, recycle”. This means that avoidable inorganic waste is reduced as a priority. Solutions are being sought for the residual quantities in order to reuse or recycle the materials, thus returning them to the circular economy. Reusable or recyclable waste is primarily packaging materials made of plastic, glass, metal, wood, paper or cardboard.

Waste that has to be disposed of is ideally recycled for energy in waste incineration plants, like in Switzerland, or – if not otherwise possible – disposed of in landfill. These are mainly rejects from the packaging process, production aids such as cleaning wipes or adhesive tapes, as well as primary and secondary packaging of raw materials and cleaning agents or heavily contaminated production residues. In Tunisia, sewage sludge from wastewater treatment also enters landfill.

Inorganic waste that is not recycled, incinerated or landfilled and therefore requires special disposal, such as chemicals, fluorescent lamps, batteries, lubricants and oils, is considered to be hazardous waste and is disposed of appropriately in compliance with the necessary specifications and safety precautions.

It should be noted that not all countries in which the Emmi Group has production sites offer the same disposal or recycling options.

No Group-wide management approach due to local differences

The Emmi Group bases its choice of certification standards for its management systems on the needs of the market, the added value achieved for the various stakeholders and the available resources. All Emmi Group production sites approach environmental management systematically. The environmental management systems of the production plants Emmi Dessert Italia (Italy), Kaiku (Spain) and Vitalait (Tunisia) are ISO 14001 certified. For division Switzerland, the ISO 14001 standards will be continued as a best practice in future and will no longer be (re)certified. All production sites are organised locally. They ensure that the applicable laws regarding waste disposal are complied with.

Data on waste is collected locally, consolidated at Group level and audited externally by KPMG (see section 9 KPMG audit report).

Targets for reducing inorganic waste by 2027

• 50% less inorganic waste (compared with 2017), where the target refers to saleable goods produced (in tonnes) (waste intensity)
• 0% waste disposed of in landfills

3.12.3 Developments in the year under review

Reduced waste intensity with acquisition-related increase in waste

The waste intensity rate in relation to saleable goods was reduced by 3% compared with the base year (8% reduction compared to the previous year). This is due to improved data collection at the Mahdia site in Tunisia (-26% compared to base year, -33% compared to previous year). Without the acquisition-related integration of Emmi Dessert USA, the reduction compared with the base year would have been 9%.

Inorganic waste sent for incineration increased by 3.6% in the reporting year compared with the previous year. The driver behind this is the higher production volume (+5% compared to previous year).

Waste sent to incineration and landfill increased by 30% in absolute terms compared to the base year, driven by the Division Americas. However, a reduction of 3% was achieved compared to the previous year. The driver behind this reduction is again the Mahdia site, due to improved data collection.

The increase in hazardous waste in the reporting year compared to the previous year is due to irregular waste streams. The main drivers are sites in Switzerland and a facility in Spain. The increase in organic waste compared with the previous year is related to adjustments in wastewater treatment – particularly at Darey Brands (USA) and at the site in Landquart (Switzerland) – as well as changes in the portfolio mix at the Swiss sites in Emmen and Bischofszell.

Share of waste disposal in landfills

Since 2024, no operational inorganic waste has been disposed of in landfill in division Europe (excluding Mademoiselle Desserts Group). The Emmi Group achieved its target in division Europe (excluding Mademoiselle Desserts Group) and in division Switzerland. Nevertheless, the amount of waste sent to landfills increased by 19% compared to the base year. The biggest driver is Laticínios Porto Alegre (Brazil). Due to local requirements and options, certain materials cannot be recycled or incinerated. Overall, the Emmi Group (excluding Mademoiselle Desserts Group) reduced waste to landfill by 8.2% compared with the previous year.

The Emmi Group measures progress using the following key performance indicators:

Methodology for non-financial figures 2025

Pilot trials for disposing of sewage sludge completed in Tunisia

At the plant in Tunisia, as at other milk-processing sites, the process wastewater has to be pretreated. The resulting sewage sludge is sent to landfill due to a lack of alternatives. The local team explored various alternative solutions in 2024 and 2025. This included drying the sludge, which is then processed into fertiliser, or using it as biomass to generate heat. Another option would be to compost the sludge. The drying and composting tests have been completed and the operating conditions and substrate composition for successful composting have been determined. Planting trials are currently under way involving the use of the various composting soils.

Switzerland: evaluation for optimisation in the area of waste management

The evaluation of the analyses carried out in autumn 2023 at the Swiss production sites on optimisation opportunities in the area of waste management was completed in the reporting year. Potential was highlighted in the area of process simplification and reporting, as well as opportunities for optimisation with regard to recycling. Four production sites started working with an external partner in the reporting year to implement the optimisations.

3.12.4 Outlook

Discussions are currently under way with the authorities and farmers in Tunisia regarding the use of the compost once the trial phase has been completed. For the possible fermentation of the sludge and production of biogas, the local team is examining potential partners for implementation.