NEW YORK — Vandemoortele, a European baking company with a growing North American presence, received the Most Original and Most Creative Sustainability Report awards at the Belgian Awards for Sustainability Reports.
The baking company’s 2023 “Annual Integrated Report – Shaping a Tasty Future Sustainably” was nominated by a jury and voted on by the public. Vandermootele’s report was praised for expressing clear KPIs and maintaining an educational and readable format.
“Implementing effective sustainability practices is a top priority for Vandemoortele,” said Raoul Dexters, country commercial manager for Vandemoortele USA. “We also acknowledge how closely education is tied to successful sustainability. For us, that means integrating both knowledge and practice of sustainability at all levels of our organization and ensuring that everyone feels empowered to understand, discuss and act on sustainability efforts.”
Vandemoortele has integrated its full team into its sustainability efforts. In turn, this has equipped employees to provide up-to-date information on sustainability best practices and how the baking company’s offerings align with increased consumer interest for clean, mindful options.
Vandemoortele’s Clean Label standards, for example, ensure that food products with the label are made with no artificial colorants, preservatives, hydrogenated oils or fats, high fructose corn syrup, and chemically modified starch.
The company also has its sights set on net zero carbon emissions, achieved through choosing sustainable resources and limiting water usage. To reach zero waste, Vandemoortele will continue to assess impact on biodiversity, monitoring sourcing for raw materials and using recyclable packaging materials.
Sustainability efforts can also be found in the brand’s Bake’Up lineup. The freezer-to-oven products help limit customers’ carbon footprints, reducing frozen pastry size by up to 60%, which makes a positive impact on shipping and storage.
“Making sustainability an accessible and tangible concept at Vandemoortele has provided our team members a larger sense of ownership and responsibility,” said Aurélie Comhaire, sustainability manager for Vandemoortele. “As a result of our investment, they feel empowered to make a difference in their own lives, extending their efforts beyond the four walls of our company. After all, our planet depends on it.”
