HiPP Press release

On 3 March 2016, the German Ministry of the Environment and the German Chamber of Commerce and Industry chose HiPP as an outstanding and exemplary enterprise for its EMAS (Eco-Management and Audit Scheme) environmental management system. The company won the award in the Large Companies category. At the same time, HiPP was nominated in the Management category of the biennial European Business Awards for the Environment (EBAE). 

As a leading manufacturer of baby foods, HiPP has a special responsibility. Sustainability is the central focus of the company’s corporate philosophy and is set forth as its highest objective. Given this, prudence in husbanding natural resources and care of the environment are integral to the baby food producer’s day-to-day operations. As early as 1995, HiPP was one of the first food producers in Europe to apply for EMAS certification as a way of measuring its environmental performance and assessing its progress towards its targets. 

The entries for the EMAS Eco-Management Award, held for the first time in 2016, spanned a wide variety of industry sectors and company sizes. One winner for each of the four categories was selected by the jury, made up of experts from the German Ministry for the Environment, Nature Conservation, Building and Nuclear Safety (BMUB), the German Chamber of Commerce and Industry (DIHK), the German Federal Environmental Agency (UBA), the German Association for Accreditation and Recognition of Environmental Auditors (DAU) and the Environmental Verification Committee (UGA). 

The jury expressed particular commendation of HiPP’s extensive and in-depth sustainability management programme. In addition to the manufacture of organic foods, the EMAS-based eco-management system enables continuous improvements to be made to manufacturing processes. As an example, almost 100% (99.8%) of all waste is recycled by the company; its Pfaffenhofen facility has been carbon-neutral in all production processes since 2011. Sustainability management is communicated and disseminated among all employees in annual training programmes. HiPP is also involved in a wide range of campaigns and partnerships with external partners, including “Bike to Work”, “E-Mobility” and “Part-Time Vegetarians”, and provides an array of sports and fitness services for employees, enabling the company to integrate additional ecological, social and ethical standards into its day-to-day routine. HiPP is engaged in dialogues with numerous initiatives and associations, including the Association of Organic Food Producers (Assoziation ökologischer Lebensmittelhersteller, AöL), the “Biodiversity in Good Company” corporate initiative, and the Business Pro Climate (“Wirtschaft pro Klima”) and “Pro Recycling Papier” initiatives. 

HiPP is delighted to receive the award and regards it as a welcome incentive. “At HiPP, we seek to keep our environment worth living in and loving for the generations to come and to act in harmony with nature”, explains Stefan Hipp, and continues, “We are utterly convinced of the value and importance of organic farming. By producing healthy plants growing healthily in natural soil, we ensure that only the best ingredients are sourced for our baby foods. At the same time, we protect the environment by making responsible use of natural resources. Protecting biodiversity and soil fertility are also key topics for us. And well-trained, highly motivated employees are a vital part of any responsibly thinking company. We apply special priority to ensuring ethical and fair treatment of the people around us.”  

The award certificate will be presented at the end of 2016 as part of an experts’ discussion at the German Environment Ministry in Berlin, to which all the companies and organisations that entered the competition will be invited.

EMAS is the world’s most stringent environmental management and environmental auditing system, with requirements that far exceed those given in the ISO 14001 standard. The Environmental Verification Committee (UGA) is an independent advisory body of the German Environment Ministry. As a multi-stakeholder forum, the UGA brings together various interest groups in the environmental management sector and proactively fosters the implementation and propagation of the EMAS Eco-Management Scheme. 

Please contact us if you have any queries or require further information; we are happy to assist at all times. 

Brigitte Engel, HiPP Corporate Communication
Tel.: +49 (0) 8441-757-851 
E-Mail: Brigitte.Engel@HiPP.de