Sustainability

We’re proud to be part of FrieslandCampina’s sustainability programme, ‘Nourishing a better planet.’ Encompassing sustainable farming, sustainable operations and sustained efforts, it supports not only our own progress, but that of our customers too.

At cooperative level, the programme outlines goals and initiatives around six priorities. At FrieslandCampina Ingredients, we’re focussing on the three that are most relevant to our business: better climate, better nature, better sourcing. Working closely with our member farmers, peers and customers, we’re bringing forward a more sustainable future.

Together, we can help our customers reduce their carbon footprints, implement more sustainable sourcing practices, achieve their own sustainability targets, and tell their sustainability story through their product brands. Interested in what we can do for you? Contact us today.

At FrieslandCampina Ingredients we’re doing all we can to make our nutrition – and the entire dairy industry – more sustainable. That’s why we’re taking actions to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, water consumption and much more at our production facilities and thousands of member farms in the cooperative.

Our ambition: a carbon neutral future.

We know that sustainability and nutrition go hand in hand. To ensure our production processes are in balance with the environment, we’re working hard to increase efficiency, design energy-efficient processes, use renewable energy and utilise residual streams.

The FrieslandCampina member farmers are

1. Optimising agricultural management (such as water usage)
2. Reducing emissions from manure storage
3. Generating sustainable energy through solar and wind power
4. Producing energy for production facilities through greener processes (such as manure)

As a result, the CO₂ footprint of FrieslandCampina milk is just half of the global average.

But we don’t stop there. By 2030, we’ll achieve a 33% reduction of CO₂ emissions on our farms (2015-2030) and a 40% reduction from our production facilities and tankers.

In 2020 we switched to 100% green electricity and are taking measures to cut water consumption by 20% at our production facilities between 2020 and 2025.

By reducing our emissions and using renewable energy, we’re making active contributions to global initiatives such as the Paris Climate Agreement.

The greater the biodiversity, the greater nature’s resilience and ability to recover. This is very important to our member dairy farmers as nature is the driving force behind every dairy farm. That’s why our goal is to have as much biodiversity as possible on our members’ farms.

By 2050, we want all our farms to have a positive effect on biodiversity. That’s a big ambition for an agricultural business.

Biodiversity leads to a healthier ecosystem and improves soil quality, which enhances its ability to absorb more carbon. Through partnerships, programmes and measures, we inspire and encourage sustainable, regenerative farming.

Our member farmers are continuously working on improving biodiversity, i.e. by:
• improving soil quality
• actively managing nature
• using feeds with zero impact on deforestation
• closing nutrient cycles

To accurately measure each farm’s performance, we use our unique and advanced Biodiversity Monitor. Developed in collaboration with the Worldwide Fund for Nature’s Netherlands office (WWF) and Rabobank, this invaluable tool eliminates guesswork and allows farmers to check their scores and gain insights into how to make improvements. Innovations like this make us leaders when it comes to sustainability in dairy farming.

For example, the Hupperetz family manages its farm’s landscape and nature by maintaining hawthorn hedges and pollarding trees to enhance biodiversity. Learn more about the work they’re doing here.

Biodiversity is increasingly valued by consumers. So sourcing ingredients from suppliers also who cherish it, you prove that you share their beliefs and passions. You can even claim it on pack. Get in touch to discuss the possibilities.

As a member of the Sustainable Dairy Partnership, we ensure we provide customers with highly sustainable dairy proteins and other nutritional ingredients. 56% of consumers prioritise environmental friendliness when purchasing foods and drinks, so it’s important to offer transparency throughout the supply chain. Owning a large part of the ‘grass to glass’ value chain allows us to offer customers that level of transparency consumers look for.

The vast majority of our raw materials comes directly from farmers within our own chain, who themselves are part of the ‘Nourishing a better planet’ programme. But manufacturing sustainable proteins and ingredients also requires resources from outside our chain, such as vegetable and fish oils.

Not only have we achieved our goal to source 100% of our agricultural raw materials sustainably, but we’re currently at 91% of our 92% target to ensure those sources are traceable by 2025. This will secure better livelihoods for farmers and animals, and directly benefit nature and the climate too.

We’ve made great progress over the first years of our sustainable sourcing strategy. In 2014, just 23% of certain agricultural raw materials were sustainably sourced; last year, that figure reached 100%.

• We purchase only RSPO-certified palm oil and together with Olenex and Wilmar, provide sustainable production guidance for small-scale palm oil farmers and growers in Colombia.
• Our soybean suppliers comply with Round Table for Responsible Soy (RTRS) standards.
• Sourcing of our micro-encapsulated LC-PUFA oils has also become more sustainable: our tuna oil is certified by independent organisations which set standards for sustainable fishing.

Contact us today to discuss how we can help prove your own sustainable sourcing credentials.

So let’s bring a sustainable future forward, together. Through our expertise and programmes we’re already helping customers provide healthy and sustainable nutrition around the globe. Get in touch to find out how we can help you achieve your brand’s more sustainable future.