AAK Reports Important Achievements Within Sustainability

KARLSHAMN, Sweden, July 5, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- AAK has today released its Sustainability Report for 2016/2017. The report outlines AAK's sustainability strategy, objectives, activities, and achievements within the five focus areas of the company's model for sustainable growth – Our Customers, Our Suppliers, Our Planet, Our People, and Our Neighbours.

"The company's overall resource efficiency has improved significantly for a number of years and 2016 was no exception," says Anne Mette Olesen, AAK's Chief Marketing Officer responsible for CSR. "Energy consumption, calculated per produced unit, decreased by 6.1 percent despite a strategic decision to increase the production of highly refined products which, all other things being equal, require more energy to process. Calculated per produced unit, our dedicated and responsible global operations organization was also able to decrease direct carbon dioxide emissions, water consumption, and water discharge."

AAK also reports strong progress on the very important palm oil sustainability commitments. In 2016, all of AAK's palm oil suppliers were risk assessed by key partner Proforest and geospatial risk assessments were performed on all mills in AAK's supply chain which was followed by audits of selected mills. Furthermore, AAK has continued its supplier engagement by organizing workshops focused on sustainability, and by engaging in a dialogue with all suppliers to drive continued strong progress of policy implementation.

In addition, AAK reports on its women's groups program in West Africa which now has more than 115,000 women included, a 27 percent increase compared to last year. The very successful program focuses on support, interest-free micro credits, training and trading directly with the women collecting the shea kernels.

Throughout the sustainability report, AAK colleagues share stories about some of the company's many CSR initiatives. To access a digital version of the report, please visit www.aak.com. To obtain a printed copy, please contact Corporate Communications via comm@aak.com.

For further information, please contact:

Anne Mette Olesen
Chief Marketing Officer including CSR
Mobile: +46-708-39-93-14
E-mail: annemette.olesen@aak.com

Fredrik Nilsson
CFO and acting CEO
Mobile: +46-708-95-22-21
E-mail : fredrik.nilsson@aak.com

The information was submitted for publication at 10:00 a.m. CET on July 5, 2017.

AAK is a leading provider of value-adding vegetable oils & fats. Our expertise in lipid technology within foods and special nutrition applications, our wide range of raw materials and our broad process capabilities enable us to develop innovative and value-adding solutions across many industries – Chocolate & Confectionery, Bakery, Dairy, Special Nutrition, Foodservice, Personal Care, and more. AAK's proven expertise is based on more than 140 years of experience within oils & fats. Our unique co-development approach brings our customers' skills and know-how together with our own capabilities and mindset for lasting results. Listed on the NASDAQ OMX Stockholm and with our headquarters in Malmö, Sweden, AAK has 20 different production facilities, sales offices in more than 25 countries and more than 3,000 employees. We are AAK –The Co-Development Company.

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SOURCE AAK