Pet food with passion – and a clear conscience
As a pet food manufacturer, Josera is aware of its responsibility towards our fellow humans, animals and nature. We want to ensure that we provide our four-legged friends with top-quality nutrition without overlooking the CO2 footprint generated in that process. Therefore, we have set ourselves the task of really addressing this issue. Walking the talk– we need action. What exactly does that mean for us and what milestones have we already achieved?
Come and join us on our sustainable journey!
We are extremely proud that production at Josera is now 100% climate neutral! This is a fantastic milestone for us, which we want to celebrate with you, our customers, while we also use it to spur us on to be even "greener".
A key component of our strategy is a commitment to offsetting all the CO2 emissions caused by our products. Lots of pet food companies only consider the climate effect of their own production. We are going a significant step further by factoring in the entire value chain for our products – from obtaining the raw commodities, to production and packaging, and right up to the delivery of the products to your homes and into your pet's bowl. This broader focus makes us International pioneers in the pet sector.
Our sustainability motto
To minimise the greenhouse gases created by our production processes, we are constantly guided by the following motto: avoid, reduce, offset. With the help of this triple promise and a commitment to action, we have achieved the huge milestone of making our entire production 100% climate neutral.
Avoid: We avoid CO2 emissions by finding climate-neutral solutions, wherever possible, by adopting new approaches or changing old habits.
Reduce: Of course, it isn't possible to completely avoid CO2 emissions. But wherever emissions are inevitable, we reduce them to the absolute minimum.
Offset: Any remaining CO2 emissions that cannot be avoided are offset through our climate and forest conservation projects in Tanzania.
Avoiding & reducing
Environmental and energy efficiency in focus
In order to minimise our emissions, we take a whole series of measures at our headquarters in Bavaria, Germany. This is aimed at sustainable optimisation of our environmental welfare performance and the climate footprint of our products. We ensure that our processes and production procedures are constantly under review.
We are regularly recognised for our commitment to saving energy and reducing CO2 emissions. For example, since 2005 we have had our environmental performance audited by EMAS, a programme run by the European Union.
A summary of our on-site measures
» Electricity generation thanks to the outstanding primary energy efficiency of our power facilities
» Product warehousing in high-bay storage facilities made from PEFC-certified wood from regional forestry
» Environmental-- friendly movement of goods, and short transportation distances
» Environmental-friendly air filtration using a biobed
» Sustainable building projects based on natural materials
» Promotion of sustainable commuting options for our employees
Offsetting
Our forest conservation project in Tanzania
Forests are an essential component in stabilising the global climate. That is why we have decided to offset our CO2 emissions through our forest conservation project in the Ntakata Mountains in Tanzania.
Perhaps you are wondering why we do not engage in forest conservation in Germany? The answer is very simple: tropical forests grow much faster than our indigenous woodlands. As a consequence, significantly more CO2 can be absorbed and stored by tropical trees in any particular period. In addition, our forest conservation work in Africa allows us to support the local population.
The Ntakata Mountains are classified as tropical rainforest and are regarded as one of the last bastions of intact tropical forest in Tanzania. As an active partner of the Carbon Tanzania founders and through personal engagement by our local employees, we are making a practical contribution to people, animals and the environment. We are protecting a forest area measuring 216,000 hectares with 119 different species of tree. This project region is home to around 17,000 people and forms a vital basis for their economic survival as well as being a sanctuary for numerous animal and plant species, including forest elephants and one of the largest wild chimpanzee population.
A candid look:
This is how many trees we save per year Needless to say, our commitment has not brought an abrupt end to the overexploitation of the primeval forests. With the help of satellite monitoring, however, the state of deforestation is regularly checked and compared with the rate of deforestation in other, non-protected areas. In this way, the project leaders are able to keep track of the size of the successfully protected area. As a result, 1,250,000 trees per year have already been saved from deforestation.
The pet food sector's first sustainability report
We have pioneered practices in the pet food sector that are already commonplace in other sectors. In 2018, Josera was the first pet food manufacturer to publish a sustainability report in line with the internationally applicable principles set out in the Global Reporting Initiative (GRI). This enabled us to give a clear definition of sustainability at Josera while positioning ourselves for the future.
Our sustainability has been recognised!
German sustainability prize
With FCF, we are achieving 7 of the 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) defined by the United Nations. Our approach has also proven persuasive for the Federal Ministry of Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ) and thus receives a state subsidy.
Our entrepreneurial cooperation as part of the FCF scheme also led to our nomination as one of four finalists for the German Sustainability Prize 2020. The German Sustainability Prize is similar to the Oscars in the film industry in that even a nomination is evidence of an outstanding achievement in this area. A nomination for the German Sustainability Prize requires not just an exceptional sustainability project but also a well-founded sustainability strategy for the whole company.
Most sustainable pet food producer according to the Pet Sustainability Coalition
The American Pet Sustainability Coalition named us the most sustainable pet food producer of 20/21. The association (PSC for short) advocates a responsible approach to nature, animals and people in the pet food industry worldwide. In addition to ourselves, members include other well-known brands from the pet food sector.
All members were eligible for the award and were put to the test in an audit lasting several days. And the outcome was that our company, strategy, and products were rated as outstanding! In addition to our "best in class" rating, we also made it into the top 6 of all global members.
The PSC sees itself as an organization that enables accredited companies to gradually become more sustainable. To achieve this, the organization facilitates ongoing third-party evaluations and verifications, which companies can undergo in order to identify the potential for even greater sustainability. For us this is both a confirmation and incentive that we are on track with our sustainable strategy – and that there is still plenty to be done!