Care for the environment - of course!

Work with environmental values and quality assurance has always been a natural part of life at Leksands Knäckebröd, and we are continuously developing these aspects. Everyone in the company is involved in our environmental work.

We aim to become fully carbon-neutral in the future, and have already taken major steps towards this. We use only green electricity and we recycle the heat from the ovens to heat the premises and water. We have been doing this since the beginning of the 1950s. We also want to reduce transport to a minimum, and so we never buy rye from producers further away than 340 km. Furthermore, we give priority to locally produced rye from Dalarna. 
All employees at Leksands Knäckebröd work to ensure that the crispbread maintains the highest quality - from the ingredients to the finished product.

We use only the highest quality ingredients: wholegrain rye with the Swedish Seal of Quality ("Svenskt Sigill"), fresh water from our own spring, yeast and salt. Our bakers have a genuine passion for traditional crispbread, and make sure that the bread is of the highest quality, with the taste that is the result of using the old family recipes.

Environmental work

As early as 1997, Leksands Knäckebröd received ISO 14001 environmental certification, and this means that we not only satisfy currently valid environmental legislation but also have designed our own environmental policy, which is regularly reviewed by an independent examiner. 
Our work with the environment permeates the complete company and involves all employees. Commitment and long-term planning have created several examples in which economic measures have led also to environmental improvements. Recycling and the use of local produce are characteristic components of the work with the environment at Leksands Knäckebröd.

Recycling

 Leksands Knäckebröd started to recycle energy in order to save money at the beginning of the 1950s, long before environmental issues had become a topic of debate. The environmental benefits were a welcome side effect, and this is the way it has continued since then.

It was as early as 1952 that Leksands Knäckebröd started to reuse the heat from the ovens to heat the premises. Today, we are fully self-sufficient for heat, except for the few days each year when we do not bake and the outdoor temperature is below -3°. A continuous endeavour to improve has led to us being able to bake 7,800 tonne of crispbread each year while saving more than 90% of our oil consumption and reducing our impact on the environment.

In the 1980s, we introduced a system in which hot tap water is heated by recycled energy from the air compressors. Since the beginning of the 2000s, 95% of the excess heat from the air compressors is used to heat the premises and tap water. It is our aim to become completely free of a dependence on oil.

Local produce

 

We only use Swedish rye, and we aim for it to be produced and supplied by local growers who are no more than 340 km away. We want to reduce to a minimum the transport distances, and will therefore purchase ever-increasing amounts of rye from local producers in Dalarna. Around 20% of our rye will come from local producers this year.

Svenskt Sigill guarantees that farmers strive towards the lowest conceivable impact on the environment and to use as little chemical pesticides and fertilizers as possible. The standards for pesticides are stricter than the legal requirements and cover, among other aspects, storage, handling and spreading. In order to prevent seepage of eutrophying substances, the producer leaves grass strips of width 6 metres at fields adjacent to watercourses. In addition, the farmer preserves wild and untreated green areas between and in the fields, to be enjoyed by plants, birds, insects and other animals. 
Svenskt Sigill monitors all grain in order to ensure that no doubts about the quality of the products can arise. Further, the rye we purchase is fully traceable right back to the farm on which it was produced.

More information about Svenskt Sigill is available at www.svensktsigill.se.

Our quality policy

Leksands Knäckebröd AB shall deliver products that meet the requirements and expectations of our customers. All of our employees are responsible for the safety and quality of our products. The company aspires to a well-functioning quality assurance system designed as specified in SS ISO9001:2000, BRC, Global Standard Livsmedel and IKEA's environmental and quality assurance system IWAY.

It shall be the goal of Leksands Knäckebröd and each one of its employees to deliver products with zero faults, such that they achieve the expected quality for the next customer (internal or external) along the chain, right up to the final consumer. It is the responsibility of the company management to educate, inform and organise, such that each employee knows what is right. 
We shall also work continuously to improve and renew our products.

It is the responsibility of the company management that the resources required for the work with quality assurance are available, and that the quality assurance system is followed.

BRC Certification 


We are certified according to the internationally recognised standard for food safety and quality, BRC Global Standard - Food. The BRC standard places requirements on how food is to be manufactured, handled and distributed. It contains also regulations about how to apply legislation, and how to ensure quality, product safety and traceability. The certification is proof that our bread is of the highest quality.

If you have any questions or require more information, send an e-mail message to: info@leksands.se.