AGRANA BETEILIGUNGS-AG =------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Corporate news transmitted by euro adhoc with the aim of a Europe-wide distribution. The issuer is responsible for the content of this announcement. =------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Conferred in the course of the Vienna Stock Exchange Award 2021 Company Information Vienna - This week, the fruit, starch and sugar group AGRANA received the VÖNIX Sustainability Award during the conferral of the Vienna Stock Exchange Award 2021. According to the jury of experts, AGRANA achieved a major stride forward in 2020 compared to the prior year in the sustainability index of all VÖNIX- listed companies, known as the VÖNIX Universe. The VBV Österreichische Nachhaltigkeitsindex - abbreviated VÖNIX - is regarded as the sustainability benchmark of the Austrian stock market. It includes those domestic companies listed on the Vienna Stock Exchange which play a leading role in terms of environmental and social activities and performance. Around 50 companies are evaluated each year for inclusion in the index and rated on the basis of strict sustainability criteria as well as their environmental and social engagement. Although the number of companies listed in the index is not firmly defined, this has in the past generally been in the range of 20 to 25. "For AGRANA, as a processor of agricultural commodities, sustainability is an integral element of our business activities. We have been listed in the VÖNIX for the past ten years. Recently, we have intensified our efforts and developed a climate strategy with a clearly defined plan of milestones on the way to establishing CO2-neutral production activities by 2040. We are delighted that these efforts have also been noted and honoured by the capital market," AGRANA CFO Stephan Büttner stressed at the award ceremony. AGRANA is committed to decarbonisation by 2050 and is working to achieve this step-by-step. AGRANA's products, such as bioethanol, thermoplastic starches and protein-rich animal feeds already play a significant role in climate protection by replacing fossil fuels and their production in a closed economic cycle. By 2040, the company aims to reduce greenhouse gas emissions from its production facilities to zero. The intention is to master this major challenge in four stages, each spanning five years. -25% is the milestone for the first decarbonisation stage extending until the end of the 2025|26 financial year. Besides ongoing energy efficiency measures, other key focus areas include phasing out coal at the last two facilities powered using this primary energy source as well as an extensive green electricity package. By 2050, the goal is also to collaborate with suppliers and partners to jointly avoid greenhouse gas emissions associated with both the upstream and downstream value chains. Image (from the left): Vienna Stock Exchange CEO Christoph Boschan - AGRANA CFO Stephan Büttner - AGRANA Sustainability Manager Ulrike Middelhoff - AGRANA Investor Relations Manager Hannes Haider - Vienna Stock Exchange CFO Andrea Hermann About AGRANA AGRANA converts agricultural raw materials into high-quality foods and numerous industrial intermediate products. About 9,000 employees at 56 production facilities worldwide generate annual Group revenue of around EUR 2.5 billion. The Group was founded in 1988, is the global leader in fruit preparations and also a major producer of fruit juice concentrates in Europe as well as being a key manufacturer of customised potato, corn and wheat starch products as well as organic ethanol in its Starch segment. AGRANA is one of the leading sugar companies in Central and Eastern Europe. This press release is available in German and English at www.agrana.com [http:// www.agrana.com/]. Further inquiry note: AGRANA Beteiligungs-AG Mag.(FH) Hannes Haider Investor Relations Tel.: +43-1-211 37-12905 e-mail:hannes.haider@agrana.com Mag.(FH) Markus Simak Public Relations Tel.: +43-1-211 37-12084 e-mail: markus.simak@agrana.com end of announcement euro adhoc =------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Pictures with Announcement: =--------------------------------------------- http://resources.euroadhoc.com/images/2118/5/10742413/AGRANA_Vönix_Preisverleihung2021.jpg
(END) Dow Jones Newswires
June 18, 2021 04:06 ET (08:06 GMT)
