Strengthening market leadership through traceability: Orkla Latvija's ISCC PLUS story
For Orkla Latvija, sustainability involves a dedicated focus on product quality and consumer health, coupled with respectful stewardship of the environment, natural resources, and society, as stated in their sustainability strategy.
As one of the leading snack producers in the Baltic region, the company works with a seemingly simple raw material: potatoes. But once they move from the field into processing, ensuring that every kilogram can be reliably traced through the supply chain becomes a complex task. By combining its integrated value chain with ISCC PLUS certification, Orkla Latvija is strengthening traceability and reinforcing its position as a sustainability leader in the market with a strong and responsible brand – “Ādažu” chips.
Building the business case for ISCC PLUS
A key principle of Orkla Latvija’s sustainability strategy is that both high-risk and essential raw materials should be certified. The goal: ensure responsible sourcing and reduce emissions across the value chain.
Potatoes are considered an essential raw material for Orkla Latvija, since one of their fast-moving consumer goods is chips. They operate an integrated value chain – growing potatoes themselves while also sourcing from partners across Latvia and neighbouring countries. Ensuring traceability across this network is the task at hand.
Orkla Latvija explored different certification options and ultimately chose ISCC PLUS. What influenced this decision? First, according to Orkla Group guidelines, raw materials must be certified to at least the SAI Platform’s Farm Sustainability Assessment (FSA) Silver. ISCC PLUS, recognised as equivalent to the FSA Gold standard, exceeds this expectation. The decision was further influenced by partners, who recommended ISCC PLUS as a practical and efficient certification system that supports cooperation across the value chain. Since 2021, Orkla Latvija has been consistently ISCC PLUS-certified for potatoes, with the standard now firmly embedded in its operations.
Integrating ISCC PLUS into potato supply chains
Setting up the procedures and meeting the certification requirements wasn’t as simple as ticking a few boxes. Integrating ISCC PLUS into supply chains requires a detailed understanding of material flows.
For Orkla Latvija, one of the main challenges was establishing a reliable mass balance system. Potatoes undergo multiple processing steps, including peeling, slicing, drying, and frying, causing them to lose weight and moisture before becoming the final product. This makes it essential to accurately track how input volumes translate into output.
Through audits, internal learning, and hands-on problem solving, Orkla Latvija built the systems and expertise needed to manage this complexity. Today, the company emphasises the importance of establishing a robust approach to tracking material flows and demonstrating compliance during audits.
Strengthening traceability and market positioning
As a market leader with a strong local presence, Orkla Latvija sees sustainability as a differentiator. Certification strengthens credibility and supports the company’s ambition to lead not only in product quality but also in responsible sourcing.
Through applying ISCC PLUS, Orkla Latvija translates its sustainability ambitions into measurable action across its potato supply chain. The certification strengthens long-term brand value and reinforces the company’s position as a trusted and forward-looking market leader, supporting both customer expectations and internal sustainability goals.
Preparing for future sustainability requirements
Looking ahead, Orkla Latvija sees certification in the broader context of evolving regulation. With increasing focus on traceability and deforestation-free supply chains, frameworks such as the EU Deforestation Regulation (EUDR) are expected to further shape the market. Orkla Latvija foresees the Regulation likely covering additional commodities in the future.
In this environment, certification systems like ISCC PLUS can play an important role in helping companies prepare for future demands, beyond currently regulated commodities.
Orkla Latvija's advice for other processors
The company’s experience highlights one key lesson: Traceability starts with understanding your own process in detail.
Orkla Latvija’s advice for companies starting with ISCC PLUS is clear: build a robust chain-of-custody system from the outset, ensure that all data is well-structured and auditable, and make full use of available tools such as ISCC checklists to stay prepared for audits. Done right, certification forms a strong foundation for credibility, brand image and future-proof supply chains.
ISCC PLUS for food and feed
All sustainably grown agricultural products and their processed forms can become certified under ISCC PLUS.
