Loacker publishes its first Impact Report and anticipates a pioneering innovation that ignites the future: OptiBake, the first inductively heated wafer oven.
Unterinn (BZ), 5 November 2025 – Loacker, the South Tyrolean confectionery company and “Società Benefit” (Italian status of Benefit Corporation), announces a significant step forward in its commitment to sustainability with the launch of a program dedicated to wheat. The initiative, strategic for the procurement of wheat flour, aims to reach 25% of the needs from responsible supply chain contracts by 2025, with the ambitious goal of reaching a 100% sustainable wheat supply chain by 2030.
Loacker has established an agronomic protocol shared with partners, which guarantees the high quality of the raw material and limits its environmental impact. Currently, the project involves 18 producers on 330 hectares, in partnership with some historical supplier mills, including Rieper Mühle (Vandoies, BZ).
Innovative practices required of farmers include:
Protection of biodiversity: it is envisaged that at least 6% of the arable land is intended for the creation of biodiversity areas (flower strips, hedges, buffer strips). This is not just a contractual requirement, but a strong incentive for landscape conservation and the creation of habitats for pollinating insects.
Soil fertility and health: to counteract erosion and leaching, the protocol obliges the adoption of a rich crop rotation. Modern sowing techniques such as direct sowing are also promoted, without tilling the soil to reduce emissions into the atmosphere.
Traceability and pure quality: Loacker guarantees the total absence of glyphosate and neonicotinoids through supply chain contracts. Natural agriculture and the adoption of integrated methods for crop protection are encouraged. In addition, due to the low protein requirement for wafer flour, nitrogen fertilization is limited to a minimum.
The company recognizes the challenge imposed by these high standards and supports farmers with an "incentive program", offering favorable price mechanisms and economic incentives for their adherence and application of the protocol. This approach has already generated very positive feedback from the farmers involved.
"The choice to be a Benefit Corporation commits us to building a supply chain where quality is combined with responsibility," commented Wanda Hager, Managing Director Agriculture & Procurement, "The new project dedicated to wheat is our concrete response to the need to protect the environment and to economically support the territories that supply us with the raw material. In terms of volume, flours are the main raw material at Loacker, we could not deal with strategic raw materials without focusing on a program dedicated to flours. This year we have reached 25% coverage of our current needs and we aim to increase the percentage in the following years with a target of 33% by the end of 2026. Our intention is to further expand the number of mills and farmers involved." The project aligns with the objectives of Climate Action, Circularity and Environmental Stewardship and Ethical Sourcing and Community Empowerment (impact areas 1 and 2 of the 2025 Impact Report), placing biodiversity and soil health at the heart of the agronomic protocol.
The development of Loacker's sustainable wheat supply chain complements the brand's other vertical supply chain initiatives (Noccioleti Italiani – Italian Hazelnut Orchards – for the self-supply of high-quality hazelnuts and the programs for cocoa, vanilla and milk), reinforcing the company's vision of a fully integrated and responsible production model.
