Mihkel Jugaste joined the management board of Graanul Invest group as CSO, overseeing ESG

Mihkel Jugaste, the new member of the management board and CSO of Graanul Invest, is responsible for managing groups’ environmental, social, and corporate governance, ESG. The management board of Graanul Invest group grew to 4 members.

Since the company’s establishment, Graanul Invest has become a world-leading and most efficient producer of sustainable biofuels and bioenergy. Best practices in environmental management have been a minimum requirement to improve on company goals, thus promoting the global bioenergy framework.

Mihkel Jugaste has been leading the quality and certification areas in the Graanul Invest group for 6 years. His teams have raised the entire value chain processes and quality procedures to a new level.

“I am truly grateful for the supervisory board and management board of Graanul Invest group, who have always prioritized sustainable solutions and provided resources for projects and activities that have a great positive impact on the environment. And all of this without political pressure or marketing-driven motives, but with the aim of acting according to operating principles and internal values, being ambitious and progressive,” commented Mihkel Jugaste.

Management of the impacts on the natural environment, social, and sustainability aspects is an integral part of Graanul Invest’s operating principles both in daily operations and as a basis for decision-making in the board.

“Importance of sustainable energy solutions is greater than ever before in today’s hectic world. New global markets and new production units, as well as sustainable shipping and transport chain, need attention and guidance,” commented Raul Kirjanen, chairman of the group’s management board and CEO. “Graanul Invest group has the ambition to reduce value chain emissions and at the same time grow its global business. We have to achieve all of this in an ever-tightening regulatory framework, which also necessitated the direct need to bring the role of CSO into the management board and into the day-to-day executive management of the group,” Kirjanen added.

Granul Invest’s 11 pellet plants and 6 modern biofuel-based CHPs are located in the Baltic States, and 1 wood pellet plant is located in Woodville, Texas, US. The group also operates 4 bulk carrier vessels. Both the footprint and environmental aspects of the production and transport chains are the sharpest focus of Graanul Invest on a daily basis.

“We have to ensure the same level of efficiency as is in the units in Baltic countries throughout the entire group. Regardless of which corner of the world the wood pellets are produced, the goal is to achieve the lowest and evident footprint of greenhouse gas emissions,” commented a member of the management board and COO Jaano Haidla. “Bioenergy plays a key role in achieving global climate goals, and as a leading bioenergy producer, we have to lead the markets and development of new solutions.”

“Modernization of existing factories and our new projects require regular investments, and the role of the CSO in the management board is extremely important from the financing aspect,” commented a member of the management board and CFO Rain Silivask. “We are one of the few Baltic region originated industrial groups which have tied their funding on the global bond market with the success and fulfillment of the group’s environmental goals. Investors financing the future growth of the group evaluate the risks, success, and competitiveness of the company through environmental aspects and also in relation to the norms that will come into force in the future.”

Graanul Invest is the world’s leading producer of biomass and bioenergy. The group operates 12 modern wood pellet plants in the Baltics and the USA and six CHP-s in Estonia and Latvia.