Sustainability at BENEO: Our Healthy Planet Plan
As a leading manufacturer of functional ingredients from natural sources, our core business is to connect nutrition and health. At the same time, we need to make our value chain sustainable from farm to fork. After all, true health and wellbeing are only possible on a healthy planet.
Learn more about BENEO’s understanding of sustainability in our manifesto.
Our contribution to sustainability at the Südzucker Group
As a division of Südzucker Group, sustainability at BENEO is part of a bigger picture. Sustainability is an integral part of Südzucker Group’s Strategy 2026 PLUS, making the advancement and implementation of the Group Sustainability Strategy “Growing in Balance” a key focus area.
As part of the group-wide sustainability program, Südzucker Group is working on eight impact areas.
In order to find the most relevant impact areas for BENEO and our stakeholders, we conducted a materiality analysis in 2022/23. In this process, we consulted 875 internal and external stakeholders with surveys and interviews worldwide.
Analyzing the results allowed us to identify the sustainability issues with the greatest impact on BENEO, society and the environment. In several workshops with colleagues from different locations and functions, we developed our strategy – BENEO’s Healthy Planet Plan. It contributes to Südzucker Group’s sustainability strategy “Growing in Balance” and addresses the expectations of our stakeholders.
The core elements of our Healthy Planet Plan
BENEO’s Healthy Planet Plan is built on 4 pillars which stand for the 10 impact areas that we are working on.
Foster health, nutrition and wellbeing
As the foundation of our Healthy Planet Plan, we commit to ensuring that nutrition with proven benefits and sustainability are strongly interlinked at BENEO.
Creating sustainable ingredients with proven health and nutritional benefits
BENEO ensures that innovation decisions, new business, and R&D are aligned with proven nutrition and health benefits, as well as sustainability. As a key global ingredient supplier, BENEO also fosters responsible communication to promote the strong link between health, nutrition and sustainability, supporting the evolution towards responsible consumption.
Support resilient farming and supply chains
At BENEO, we process a wide range of raw materials for our ingredients, from chicory roots, wheat and sugar beets to faba beans, rice and more. Their cultivation and availability depend on a resilient farming sector. To ensure adaptability and to proactively address risks, BENEO integrates sustainability criteria into contingency management plans for its operations. This is why we commit to collaborating with and supporting farmers and suppliers to foster supply chain resilience and safeguard Earth’s resources.
Providing partnership, services and consultancy for long-term viability of farming
BENEO actively values its farmers by supporting them through long-term partnerships and fair value sharing to ensure reliable supply and quality of the raw materials.
Supporting farmers with climate change resilience and regenerative agricultural practices
Addressing climate change is essential for farmers as it helps maintain stable and predictable agricultural conditions, as well as securing their livelihoods. Together with farmers, BENEO is committed to promoting regenerative agriculture by focusing on improving soil health and biodiversity, mitigating climate change and protecting water resources.
Engaging in contingency management to reduce risks and ensure long-term supply
To enhance adaptability and manage impacts in a preventive manner, BENEO implements a contingency management plan for its operations and supply chain that integrates sustainability criteria.
The aim is to anticipate geopolitical risks, the hazards of climate change and secure long-term supply.
Care for people
“Care” is one of BENEO’s corporate values, guiding our attitude and behavior. As an employer and a reliable business partner, we are aware of our responsibility towards people and society. This is why we commit to caring for the people working at BENEO and across our supply chain.
Securing health and safety in the workplace
BENEO’s employees are at the core of the company. This is why we ensure a safe, healthy and trustful work environment for all permanent and temporary employees, where each individual acts as an ambassador to promote a health and safety culture. We create the conditions to provide physical and mental health and work life balance for our teams.
Fostering diversity, inclusion and equity
Diversity, inclusion and equity are an essential part of BENEO’s culture, which fosters personal development, creativity and innovation, as well as top performance. We appreciate that the different personalities, perspectives and backgrounds of our employees contribute to the sustainable success of our organization. In our policies, leadership and daily behaviour we foster inclusion, supporting the development of all our employees.
Ensuring socially responsible sourcing
Monitoring respect for human rights throughout its supply chain, promoting diversity among its suppliers, and ensuring that BENEO’s suppliers implement socially responsible sourcing practices are key to the company contributing to social justice and to achieving social responsibility.
Mitigate our impacts on the planet
In order to mitigate our impacts on the planet in our core business, we continuously strive to make our operations more sustainable.
Decreasing waste while increasing circularity
Working on innovative packaging, applying circularity principles and striving for zero waste practices, as well as full valorisation of raw materials and co-products, is vital to minimize environmental impact and safeguard resources.
Reducing absolute greenhouse gas emmissions
Reducing GHG emissions in our own operations and across our value chain is crucial to mitigating climate change and its adverse effects on the environment and human health.
Promoting responsible water use
Managing water resources responsibly in our own operations and across our value chain (from supply of raw materials to distribution), reducing, reusing water and avoiding pollution, especially in high water stress areas are essential to address water scarcity challenges.
Growing our business while safeguarding tomorrow’s health
Sustainability has been built into the DNA of BENEO since its early days – and even before its foundation in 2007. The merger of the three companies Orafti, Palatinit and Remy enabled us to join forces to further improve as one company. Since then, we have achieved a wide range of milestones and carried out several projects, initiatives and investments to contribute to a healthier planet. Now we are continuing this journey with our Healthy Planet Plan.
2007 BENEO was founded
Foundation of BENEO
2009 — 2014
2009
- Foundation of BENEO-Institute
2010
- Oreye Hercule energy saving plan
2014
- Pemuco health and safety program
2015 — 2020
2015
- Launch of biomass boiler in Pemuco
- Pemuco social program «Orafti emprende»
2018
- Launch of a project in Oreye to promote biodiversity
- Pemuco social program «Orafti educa»
2019
- ENERCO initiative to reduce the use of fossil fuels and energy consumption
2020
- Launch of Climate Farming Project in Belgium
2021
- Investment into waterway transport to reduce CO2 emissions from rice transport in Belgium
- Investment in water recuperation in Wijgmaal
2022
- Production sites are SMETA certified
- Extension of the protein product portfolio with the launch of faba bean ingredients
- Acquisition of the Dutch company Meatless
- Provision of farm machinery to more than 100 local rice farmers in Laos
- Evaporator optimization & electrification projects in our Offstein facility
- Quadrupling of the storage capacity at our Offstein facility
2023
- Start of partnership with Raffinerie Tirlemontoise and Puratos in joint Climate Farming Project in Belgium with 15 pilot farms
- Start of construction of new pulse-processing plant in Offstein, Germany, running on purchased renewable electricity
- First chicory root campaign in Pemuco without using fossil fuel for heat and electricity in the production process
- BENEO’s sites in Belgium, Germany and Italy purchase 100% of their electricity from renewable sources
2024
- Investment into an industrial heat pump pilot in Wijgmaal to reduce CO2 emissions
- Launch of BENEO’s sustainability strategy, the Healthy Planet Plan
- Sustainability trainings across various BENEO departments, including Executive Board of Directors, Senior Leadership Team, Sustainability Team, Sales, Marketing and Corporate Communication, Purchasing and Operations
Certifications
BENEO and Südzucker Group have achieved a range of ratings and certifications, highlighting our commitment to sustainable practices.
- Südzucker AG (Group) has been awarded a silver medal as a recognition of their EcoVadis Rating in March 2025.
- The Science Based Targets initiative has validated that the corporate greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions reduction target(s) submitted by Südzucker AG (Group) have been deemed to be in conformance with the SBTi Criteria and Recommendations (version 5). The SBTi’s Target Validation Team has classified the company’s scope 1 and 2 target ambition (i.e., reducing absolute scope 1 and 2 GHG emissions 50.4% by 2030 from a 2018 base year) and has determined that it is in line with a 1.5°C trajectory. As BENEO, a division of Südzucker Group, we contribute to achieving these targets.
- Südzucker AG (Group) has achieved a CDP score of B in 2023, in a range of A to D, which is higher than the food & beverage processing sector average of C.
- BENEO’s five sites in Belgium, Chile, Germany and Italy have passed the SMETA 4 Pillar Audit on Labor Standards, Health & Safety, Environmental Assessment and Business Ethics. SMETA stands for Sedex Members Ethical Trade Audit.
- The raw materials that BENEO processes are sourced according to different standards and certifications. These depend on the type of raw material. Certifications and standards for sustainable sourcing at BENEO include ISCC EU, REDcert-EU, 2BSvs, Vegaplan, Austrian Agricultural Certification Scheme (AACS) and FSA (Farm Sustainability Assessment).
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