Transparent figures

Annual average milk price for unprocessed milk paid to the member companies of Uelzena eG (UG-MG): 2020 the milk suppliers were paid a milk price for raw milk (4.0% fat, 3.4% protein) of 31.57 euro cents per kilogram (ex ramp dairy, without VAT). This is less than in the previous year (33.79 cents/kg). In the reporting year, the milk payout of Uelzena eG is 0.4 euro cents below the North German average.

Revenues (sub-indicator GRI 102-7): The consolidated group turnover for 2020 noticeably decreased compared with the previous year: from about 705 million euros to about 670 million euros. The main reason for this decline is the impact of the Corona pandemic on market developments.

Equity ratio (UG-EK): At 38.5 percent, the equity ratio in 2020 remained at the previous year's level. This development is also attributed to revenue reserves from the successful business year. Sufficient equity is one objective for the Uelzena Group because a sound financial foundation is important for the implementation of its strategic plans for the future. And the higher the equity ratio, the higher the assessment of financial stability, which strengthens the credit rating of the company.

Value generated and distributed (GRI 201-1): The generated value has declined from 2019 to 2020. The retained value also decreased from about 693 to 661 million euros.

Materials used (GRI 301-1): The quantity of milk raw materials including semi-finished products significantly rose again from 741,726 tonnes in 2019 to 772.543 tonnes in 2020. In contrast, the volume of non-dairy raw materials including semi-finished goods went down from 32,998 to 26,584 tonnes.

Recycled input materials used (GRI 301-2): Slightly less recycled packaging material was used compared to the previous year. The percentage share decreased from 41.7 per cent to 37.9 per cent. The total amount of packaging material also fell slightly to 4,593 tonnes.

¹ 100% of the quantities of the product-related procurement material groups have been considered as long as they were recorded in kg. No information is provided for adjuvant and process materials because the amount sourced have been considered to be negligible.
² New allocation of semi-finished goods from 2016

Quantity of products provided/sales (sub-indicator to GRI 102-7): Total sales in the main product groups decreased from 2019 (243,887 tonnes) to 2020 (226,895). Due to COVID 19 pandemic, sales of instant beverages and health products were particularly affected.

¹ Summary of instant beverages, health products, specialty dry products and contract drying

Energy consumption within the organisation (GRI 302-1): The absolute energy consumption has slightly decreased from 266,373,687 kWh in 2019 to 261,184,792 kWh in 2020. In contrast, the energy consumption per ton of production and energy intensity (GRI 302-3) increased slightly. Instead of 1.219 kWh/kg in 2019, it was 1.356 kWh/kg in 2020.

Total direct and indirect greenhouse emissions (GRI 305-1 and 305-2): The absolute greenhouse gas emissions fell slightly compared to the previous year - from 30,894 to 29,526 tonnes. On the other hand, the intensity of greenhouse gas emissions (GRI 305-4) deteriorated slightly from 0.141 to 0.153 kg/kg. The absolute value of the reduction in greenhouse gas emissions in relation to the base year 2012 (GRI 305-5) has increased slightly compared to the previous year, which can be explained by the basic energy requirement despite declining production.

¹ Purchased energy minus sold energy; energy use without marginal consumption of heating oil
² Production quantities not consolidated but stated additively. The energy intensity based on energy input is higher than the energy intensity calculated based on consumption (energy input incl. own electricity x efficiency = energy consumption).
³ CO₂ emission referred to the production quantity in kg

Total water withdrawal (GRI 303-1): Total fresh water consumption is slightly reduced, from 307,283 m³ to 280,413 m³. However, total consumption per tonne of product has increased slightly, from 1.41 m³/t in 2019 to 1.46 m³/t in 2020. This is due to increased cleaning intensity.

Total wastewater discharge (GRI 303-4): At 916,462 m³, the volume of wastewater in 2020 was significantly higher than in the previous year (877,430 m³). The wastewater volume per tonne of product produced also deteriorated: from 4.02 m³/t (2019) to 4.76 m³/t. The reasons for this are the increased raw milk processing as well as an increased volume of product changes, which required more cleaning processes in contract drying. In addition, ongoing construction activities also contributed to this result.

¹ Waste water only for the Uelzen and Bismark sites; waste water quantities for the Ratzeburg site are negligibly small; Warmsen site has its own sewage treatment plant

Total weight of waste by type and method of disposal (GRI 306-2): The total weight of waste has decreased from 1,391.88 tonnes in 2019 to 1,379.11 tonnes in 2020. In contrast, the proportion of recyclable, production volume-dependent waste increase again in 2020 to 84.8 percent. This is – again – the highest value since 2012.

¹ Waste which is independent from the production quantity includes construction waste, garden waste and outdated files

Total number of employees (GRI 102-7) and total number of new employee hires: The Uelzena Group is growing. The number of employees is also growing in line with this development. In 2020, the total staff number increased by 4 to a total of 781.

¹ Employee-related performance indicators refer to all employees and sites of the Uelzena Group. Headcount is known.
² Sites are located within Germany, therefore no breakdown by region.
³ Apprentices and interns not included.

The rate of work-related injuries with serious consequences has decreased from 12.2 (2019) to 11.6 (2020). The rate of documentable work-related injuries, on the other hand, increased from 3.6 in 2019 to 26.7 in 2020. As in previous years, there were no fatalities due to work-related injuries in 2020.

The average annual hours per employee spent on training (GRI 404-1) was three hours in 2020, compared to seven hours a year earlier. This was mainly due to the fact that during the Corona pandemic, a large part of the digital education and training was not recorded.

The average period of employment (UG-BZ) continued to fall slightly in 2020 - from 11.5 years in the previous year to 11.1 years. The reason for this is that as in the previous year, many long-serving employees retired in 2020. Due to the expansion of the Uelzena Group, there is a growing demand for manpower; the company hired new employees who naturally had only been with the company for a short period of time as of 31 December. This development led to a further decrease in the average value.

¹404-9: Rate is the number of lost time injuries (1 day and more) per 1 million hours worked (Lost Time Injury Rate (LTIR)).

Percentage of expenses to suppliers local to the operation (GRI 204-1): 79 percent of all expenditure on agricultural raw materials and packaging materials went on local suppliers such as milk producers or sugar producers; this is 7 percent less than last year. 20 per cent of the Uelzena Group's expenditure on services in 2020 is accounted for by local providers. This corresponds to an increase of 3 per cent.

Percentage of expenses to suppliers local to the operation (UG-RBM): Traditionally, the Uelzena Group procures a very high share of dairy raw materials from local sources. In 2020, this amounted to 94 percent of all quantities received, two percent less than in 2019. Minor fluctuations in this value are normal and do not indicate a general trend. The Uelzena eG is a cooperatively organised dairy. Liquid milk raw materials are particularly important. The quantity of milk raw materials delivered by the members who hold cooperative shares determines – in addition to the reserves – the amount of equity.  This indicator is important for several groups of stakeholders; it also serves to determine regional sourcing. In contrast, GRI 204-1 is defined and accounted for by the GRI organisation as a value share. Uelzena eG therefore uses two similar indicators in order to cater for all information requirements.

¹ Regional supplier for packaging materials: Germany: headquarters of the supplier is decisive
² Regional supplier for non-dairy raw materials: Raw materials and semi-finished goods of suppliers headquartered in Germany
³ Regional supplier for dairy raw materials: 150 km radius around production sites of the Uelzena Group