Sustainability strategy
Numidia wants to be the best, most sustainable supplier of standard dairy products. The road we have travelled so far and the steps we have taken to remain the most sustainable supplier have been translated into a sustainability roadmap. The roadmap presented below highlights our past achievements in gray and outlines our planned actions in magenta.
Roadmap
In 2023, Numidia determined three main sustainability goals to be achieved during that year. In Q1, we completed the integrated sustainability report with reference to the GRI standards. In Q2, we focused on raising Numidia’s EcoVadis score to a minimum of 78 out of 100 points to achieve the Platinum medal. In the end, we scored 76 out of 100 points – more than enough for the Gold medal, but two points short for the Platinum medal. At the end of Q3, we planned to initiate Green Routing. We have determined a first set of routes for delivering products that have a reduced CO2 footprint to participating customers.
In 2024, Numidia will be preparing for the upcoming CSRD legislation. For the current report, the double materiality analysis has already been prepared according to the requirements of the CSRD. In 2024, we will continue our efforts to achieve the EcoVadis Platinum medal.
Sustainability goals
Several sustainability goals have been defined in line with the sustainability roadmap.
reduce emissions from company cars
Since 2020, all new company cars are (semi) electric vehicles. We have thereby managed to reduce the emissions coming from company cars. From 2025 onwards, all new company cars must be one of the following:
Electric vehicle (EV)
Fuel cell vehicle (FCV)
Fuel cell electric vehicle (FCEV)
minimize emissions from Numidia head office
We aim to reduce any emissions emitted from our head office and to be as self-sustaining as possible.
reduce emissions from truck & ship transportation
We are prioritizing collaborations with transport vendors that are making efforts to reduce their negative impact on the environment. The cooperation and willingness from our partners to achieve this goal is a crucial success factor.
raise environmental awareness of customers and suppliers
We make agreements with our suppliers that include conditions to ensure that they meet all our sustainability requirements. We also rate each supplier according to how closely involved they are with sustainability.
Although we cannot directly influence customers in reducing their environmental impact, Numidia does believe it has a responsibility to promote the following goals:
CO2 footprint for sales and the option to buy a CO2 compensated product
To provide all customers with the total CO2 footprint of products purchased from Numidia, with the option of buying a fully CO2 compensated product.30% CO2 neutral products sold by 2030
By 2030, 30% of all products sold are to be CO2 compensated with carbon credits.Green Routing By the end of 2024, every customer will have the option of purchasing Green Routing.
Green Routing will provide the option of purchasing products with a lower CO2 footprint compared to standard products.
Sustainable Dairy Partnership (SDP)
Since 2022, Numidia has been a member of the SDP. We joined the platform to increase our focus on continuously improving the sustainability of the dairy supply chain. We aim for closer cooperation with producers and farmers to align with and improve the sustainability goals as stated in the Dairy Sustainability Framework (DSF). These include the following:
Greenhouse Gas Emissions
Soil Nutrients
Soil Quality and Retention
Water Availability and Quality
Biodiversity
Working Conditions
Animal Care
Waste
Market Development
Rural Economies
Product Safety and Quality
Sustainable sourcing policy
To be the world’s best and most sustainable supplier of standard dairy products for the food and feed market, it is very important that Numidia’s suppliers abide by the principles of the sustainable sourcing policy. Suppliers are also responsible for making sure that these principles are followed throughout the supply chain.
We want our suppliers to prevent the products from being exposed to or contaminated by harmful materials (chemicals, waste, harmful pesticides, etc.). In addition, suppliers need to provide assurance of healthy soil preservation and the prevention of erosion. In order for this to work, increasing awareness and sense of urgency among an significant part of the supplier base is required.
Valuable partnerships
All our suppliers are required to formally agree to abide by our Code of Conduct (CoC). All new (product and service) suppliers are screened according to how involved they are with various sustainability programs that may also include environmental, social, or ethical aspects. This includes certifications, documents, or ratings such as Sedex, SDP, EcoVadis, GRI reports, SASB and any other platform designed to include aspects related to sustainability.
Based on this screening process, we created risk profiles for each supplier to assess their level of compliance with our sustainability standards. The aim is to prevent adverse consequences and improve their sustainability efforts. These risk profiles are frequently reviewed and can change positively because of improvements or negatively because of non-conformance with our sustainability standards.
EcoVadis
EcoVadis is the global standard for business sustainability ratings. The EcoVadis assessment evaluates 21 sustainability criteria across four core themes: Environment, Labor & Human Rights, Ethics, and Sustainable Procurement. More than 85,000 companies globally have been rated by EcoVadis.
EcoVadis’ business sustainability ratings are based on international sustainability standards such as the Ten Principles of the UN Global Compact, the International Labour Organization (ILO) conventions, GRI Sustainability Reporting Standards, and the ISO 26000 standard. The ratings provide an evidenced-based analysis on performance and an actionable roadmap for continuous improvement.