We take the lead – Danish Crown strategy

Our legacy dates back to 1887 and the Danish co-operative movement, so we have inherited our responsibility towards society, our employees and our owners; the farmers.

Danish Crown is Europe’s largest producer and a large exporter of pork and organic meat. We are also among the top five producers of beef in Europe. We operate production facilities in Denmark and in several countries in Europe and China, and we have access to more than 130 markets worldwide.

Being a global meat producing company comes with accountability. Not only must we consistently deliver products, but we must also constantly investigate new opportunities. We still have a long way to go with many challenges ahead. Nevertheless we are firmly committed to finding better ways of producing food – ways that respect animals, people and the environment. In our quest, we are ready to challenge ourselves, the industry and customers.

We promise to take the lead, but we cannot complete this journey alone. Only by joining efforts, can we change the approach to food and how it is produced.

Our strategy

Our strategy outlines our path towards contributing to the UN Sustainable Development Goals. It is rooted in the aspects that are material to us and our stakeholders, and we believe that delivering on our strategy is essential for the future of our business.

Our strategy focuses on assuming responsibility for all stages of the meat production process. We have defined four key focus areas. We translate the strategy into practice by working across the value chain to drive changes and to anchor the principles for responsible business conduct throughout our organisation.

Strategy

Farming

We aim to secure a strong future for farmers and promote livestock production through attention to climate, biodiversity, animal welfare standards and protection of livestock from harmful viral diseases like African swine fever (ASF).

Food production

We strive to run an efficient and high-performing food production operation, setting high standards for ourselves and for our suppliers, and consider efficient resource utilisationto be crucial for reduceing greenhouse gas emissions and provide enough food for the world’s growing population.

People

Our employees are our most valuable asset. We aim to attract and retain employees by providing good jobs in safe workplaces for people with different backgrounds.

Customers and consumers

We strive to earn customers’ and consumers’ confidence and meet their needs by new food concepts together with customers in retail, foodservices and the food industry.

Science-based targets

As part of our strategic commitment to combat climate change, we have set science-based targets. Our vision is to achieve net-zero meat production by 2050, and these targets represent a concrete step toward realizing that goal.

Scope 1, 2 and 3 emissions

Danish Crown commits to reduce absolute Scope 1 and 2 greenhouse gas emissions 42% by 2030 from a 2020 base year. This target covers 100 per cent of Danish Crown’s Scope 1 and 2 greenhouse gas emissions.

Danish Crown commits to reduce Scope 3 greenhouse gas emissions with 20% per kg of output produced by 2030 from a 2020 base year. This target covers approximately 93 per cent of Danish Crown’s Scope 3 emissions.

Setting science-based targets

Our approach to sustainability

We take the lead in working towards the sustainable transition of food production and step up our investment in sustainability and innovation throughout our value chain from farm to fork to accelerate the development.