During the Intrafood fair, on 28 October there will be a seminar about Sustainable Purchasing. Experts shed light on the topics from various angles

During the Intrafood fair, on 28 October there will be a seminar about Sustainable Purchasing. Experts shed light on the topics from various angles

Sustainable purchasing begins with the agricultural raw materials

Sustainable purchasing starts with the agricultural raw materials. When making purchasing decisions, companies still too often focus solely on the price, quality and delivery time of a product. A sustainable purchasing policy also means that products are assessed on social and environmental aspects. Taking chain responsibility through sustainable purchasing is therefore an important part of corporate social responsibility (CSR). Consultation and cooperation with suppliers leads to improved processes and a more transparent, efficient and favourable purchasing policy.

The Sustainable Trade Initiative

Diewertje Hendriks, SDM Analyst at IDH - The Sustainable Trade Initiative, provides answers to various questions, among other things. Is sustainable purchasing the same as purchasing certified products? After all, sustainable purchasing is expensive, isn’t it? I have no idea how the agricultural products I buy are grown, so how can I be sure they are grown sustainably? What does the upcoming due diligence legislation have to do with sustainable purchasing? How do you make sustainable purchasing fun for your buyers?

Beyond chocolate

Her colleague, Charles Snoek, Beyond Chocolate Program Manager, highlights Belgian chocolate. The rich history, high quality and exceptional craftsmanship in our country combine to give Belgian chocolate a particularly strong reputation. At the same time, chocolate is increasingly being associated with high risks in terms of child labour, deforestation and extreme poverty. At the end of 2018, the sector, government, retail and NGOs jointly made agreements to embed sustainability aspects in Belgian craftsmanship. The Beyond Chocolate partnership was born with high ambitions: to enable liveable incomes and halt deforestation by 2030.

Belgian pralines

Global Marketing Director at Neuhaus gives an insight into how the inventor of the Belgian praline deals with sustainable purchasing. He shows Neuhaus’s path to sustainability with a focus on ingredient sourcing and packaging.

Coffee

Chocolate and coffee go well together. Michel Germanès, CEO of the Efico Group, explains that quality and sustainability are the cornerstones of their sustainable purchasing policy in an international environment. As a green coffee specialist, the company has been importing raw coffee since 1926. The achievements and challenges as well as the importance of the entire coffee chain are discussed.

Start at the source: sustainability in the chain

Tijmen de Vries of Schuttelaar & Partners points out that sustainability is an increasingly important part of organisations’ strategy. The purchase of raw materials and goods is of great importance in this respect, as a large part of the impact occurs in the chain. To make purchasing more sustainable and results measurable, control of the chain is essential. The conclusion of partnerships is an important condition in this connection.

Working towards a more ethical supply chain

Jelmen Haaze, secretary of the Belgian Alliance for Sustainable Palm Oil (BASP), discusses the importance of sustainable palm oil. The technical properties of palm oil make it an essential basic ingredient that enables us to provide customers and consumers with the high-quality products they expect. Furthermore, palm oil gives a yield per area that is five times higher than sunflower or rape. But even if palm oil is an ideal basic ingredient for feeding growing populations, its production must be sustainable so that we can continue to use it in the future.

You can view the seminar programme via this link.