Transparent figures

Annual average milk price for unprocessed milk paid to the member companies of Uelzena eG (UG-MG): 2019 the milk suppliers were paid a competitive milk price for raw milk (4.0% fat, 3.4% protein) of 33.79 euro cents per kilogram (ex ramp dairy, without VAT). This is more than in the previous year (33.68 cents/kg). In the reporting year, the milk payout of Uelzena eG is 0.11 euro cents above the national average in Germany.

Revenues (sub-indicator GRI 102-7): The consolidated group turnover for 2019 is noticeably increased compared with the previous year: from about 647 million euros to about 705 million euros. Which corresponds to an increase of nearly 9 percent. The background to this positive turnover development: Sales increases and significant price increases in specific business divisions.

Equity ratio (UG-EK): The equity ratio slightly improved in 2019 by 1.6 percent – to 38.5 percent. 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 significantly improved from 2018 to 2019. The retained value also increased from about 644 to 693 million euros. The largest costs arose once again from payments to suppliers, which amounted to almost 612 million euros. Accordingly, the difference between direct and retained generated economic value increased proportionally and is about 9 million euros more than that of the previous year.

Materials used (GRI 301-1): The quantity of milk raw materials including semi-finished products significantly rose again from 640,934 tonnes in 2018 to 741,726 tonnes in 2019. The quantity of non-dairy raw materials including semi-finished products also rose, but not so significantly: from 31,886 to 32,998 tonnes.

Recycled input materials used (GRI 301-2): Compared with the previous year, more recycled packaging materials were used in 2019: an increase of 56 tonnes to a total of 2,111 tonnes. The percentage improved from 41 to 41.7 percent. The total quantity of packaging materials rose slightly from 5,007 to 5,068 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 increased from 2018 (231,107 tonnes) to 2019 (243,887 tonnes). A rise in nearly all product groups has been recorded. Contract drying, however, has seen a slight drop in sales.  One reason for this lies in the restricted production due to the tower renovation in Uelzen.

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 increased significantly from 251,901,562 kWh in 2018 to 266,373,687 kWh in 2019. The ongoing renovation measures in 2019 are the reason for this increase. More energy had to be additionally purchased. Energy consumption per ton of production and Energy intensity (GRI 302-3) also increased slightly. It amounted to 1.219 kWh/kg in 2019 compared to 1.202 kWh/kg in 2018.

Total direct and indirect greenhouse emissions (GRI 305-1 and 305-2): Absolute greenhouse gas emissions have slightly increased compared with the previous year – from 29,909 to 30,894 tonnes. In contrast, the Intensity of greenhouse gas emissions (GRI 305-4) slightly improved from 0.143 to 0.141 kg/kg. The absolute reduction in greenhouse gas emissions referred to the base year 2012 (GRI 305-5) has slightly increased compared with the previous year, which is caused by the increase in production. This could not be fully compensated for by an improvement in the intensity of greenhouse gas emissions.

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): Freshwater consumption rose slightly from 1,067,344 m³ to 1,184,713 m³, which is attributed to the increased intensity of cleaning caused by the shift in the product portfolio. Water consumption per tonne of product has therefore also risen slightly from 5.09 m³/t in 2018 to 5.42 m³/t in 2019. 

Total wastewater discharge (GRI 306-1): In 2019, the volume of wastewater was 877,430 m³, substantially above the previous year’s value (737,109 m³). The volume of wastewater per tonne of manufactured product has also declined: from 3.52 m³/t (2018) to 4.02 m³/t (2019). The reasons for this are the increased raw milk processing and the increased number of product changes which required increased cleaning processes in the contract drying. The ongoing construction activity has 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 increased from 1,272.42 in 2018 to 1,391.88 tonnes in 2019. Both the quantities of recyclable production-specific waste non-specific production waste per tonne produced have risen in comparison with the three-year average. Above all, this is linked to the construction activity in 2019. In contrast, the proportion of recyclable, production volume-dependent waste increase again in 2019 to 82.1 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 2019, the total staff number increased by 32 to a total of 777.

The rate of employee turnover (GRI 401-1-b) dropped slightly from 8.84 percent in the previous year to 7.98 percent in 2019.

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 average number of hours of training per year per employee (GRI 404-1) has increased by an average of one hour and lies at seven hours in 2019. The previous year’s value was unchanged at six hours.

The average period of employment (UG-BZ) continued to fall slightly in 2019 from 12.2 years in 2018 to 11.5 years in 2019. The reason for this is that as in the previous year, many long-serving employees retired in 2019.  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.

Percentage of expenses to suppliers local to the operation (GRI 204-1): 86 percent of all expenditure on agricultural raw materials and packaging materials went on local suppliers such as milk producers or sugar producers; this is 4 percent more than last year. As in the previous year, 17 percent of the Uelzena Group’s expenditure on services went to local suppliers.

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 2019, this amounted to 96 percent of all quantities received, two percent more than in 2018. 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