Food & Pharma
Key Developments
In 2023, we added a new member to our Food & Pharma division. By joining forces with Devro, one of the world’s leading suppliers of collagen-based films, coatings and casings for the food industry, we are growing our business further. To account for the new setup, we reorganized our sustainability management, which now spans our three business units (Van Hessen, Devro and Bioiberica), and implemented a Sustainability Steering Committee to agree purpose, governance structure, and clear responsibilities for delivering sustainability results. One target is to roll out a software across the entire division to enable data capture across supply chains and manufacturing to help monitor progress and standardize sustainability reporting.
Bioiberica presented a detailed Climate Strategy and an enhanced disclosure to promote transparency and data-driven decision-making. The report provides an inventory of greenhouse gas emissions, the targets set, the milestones achieved and how Bioiberica will tackle future challenges in its commitment to becoming climate-neutral. At Van Hessen, we expanded our sustainability team with key roles and functions across our operations, enhancing visibility and fostering an effective environment for advancing Van Hessen's sustainability goals. Acknowledging the significant portion of emissions beyond our direct control (Scope 3), a characteristic common in our industry, we will seek to engage across our value chain to improve data accuracy and transparency, and align reductions with global climate objectives.
The goal of reducing greenhouse gas emissions
Scope 1+2: -30% by 2030 in absolute terms.
Scope 3: calculation in progress
Renewables
100% renewable electricity by 2024. 1000 kW of installed pho- tovoltaic power.
Becoming climate-neutral by 2050.
Managing threats and opportunities in the short, medium and long term.
At Bioiberica, we formulated four primary goals aimed at achieving a low-emission economy.
With a new LNG water boiler at our Van Hessen facility in Toledo (Spain), we expect to reduce the annual footprint of the site by an estimated 755 tons CO2 eq.*
*Calculated using GHG Protocol’s & IPCC guideline stationary combustion guidance
Project Highlights
At Van Hessen, we believe that building an even better work environment depends on active engagement and transparent communication. In 2023, we initiated a global employee engagement survey, with the results surpassing benchmarks in both response rate and overall satisfaction score. Our HR and regional management teams thoroughly analyzed the anonymous feedback and created action plans for the further improvement of our team members’ employee experience. One of these recent initiatives, Van Hessen NextGen, is a new social community designed to share existing knowledge while gaining fresh insights and developing our team members. This involves networking events, skill improvement workshops, site visits, and more designed to ensure we maintain our leading position with innovation and adapt swiftly to market changes.
Employee development is also a crucial sustainability topic at Bioiberica. Our BioAcademy Training Platform is another key element in our holistic effort to promote the personal and professional development of our employees. The platform allows them to track their status regarding mandatory training programs so that they know which courses they have already completed and which they still need to take. This in turn enables our HR team to monitor attendance. When necessary, tests can be taken directly on the platform, and employees can run evaluations to see how they have performed and where there is room for improvement. Finally, certificates for successful participation can be downloaded directly.