Arvid Nordquist’s marketing manager Erica Bertilsson says that the main reason for the investment in offsetting was to achieve greater differentiation in the market. Then carbon offsetting became a catalyst for wider sustainability work. Once the investment was well received, it was also easier to make decisions about further sustainability investments.

– Arvid Nordquist has been around for over 130 years. When we do something, we do it for the long term. Today, carbon offsetting is part of our brand value, an asset for us and our customers, says Erica Bertilsson, Sustainability & Communications Director at Arvid Nordquist.

Not a difficult decision

Erica Bertilsson observes that tree-planting projects are often carried out in coffee-growing countries that Arvid Nordquist already has a relationship with and regularly visits. She emphasizes that carbon offsetting and drastically reducing carbon footprints are essential, especially if you work with agricultural products.

– Our industry puts pressure on ecosystems at the same time as being dependent on them. There are 25 million coffee growers affected by climate change worldwide. For us, it therefore makes perfect sense to focus on Plan Vivo’s carbon offset projects, which provide both environmental benefits and improved living conditions. It was not a difficult decision, says Erica Bertilsson.

She believes that an important part of Arvid Nordquist’s success in linking the company’s climate strategy to sales is that they integrated their work on emissions into their brand communication and engaged all the staff so that they became ambassadors for carbon offsetting.

– Today, carbon offsetting is part of our brand values, says Erica Bertilsson, Marketing Manager, Arvid Nordquist HAB.