Bonduelle Fresh Americas publishes its first corporate social responsibility report 2020

First Business Unit CSR Report Highlights Progress Towards B Corp Certification by 2025 with Focus on Planet, Food and People
IRWINDALE, Calif .– June 17, 2021 – Bonduelle Fresh Americas, leader in plant-based food innovation, a 100% subsidiary of Bonduelle based in the United States and headquarters of Ready Pac Foods, continues its global journey in terms of sustainable development with the publication today of its first report on corporate social responsibility (CSR). The report presents the business unit’s progress in FY20 compared to the overall CSR strategy announced in 2019 and towards B Corp certification by 2025. In particular, during the first year of the strategy, Bonduelle Fresh Americas achieved solid targets that he has set himself to achieve by 2025, with two targets already achieved ahead of schedule.
Bonduelle’s mission is to inspire the transition to a plant-based diet to contribute to human well-being and the health of the planet. In accordance with this mission, in 2020 the company introduced the B! Pact – a framework of its CSR objectives to underline its firm commitment to the planet, food and people. These three major objectives support Bonduelle Fresh Americas in deepening its commitments and broadening its scope and impacts. The new framework also more directly supports the company’s ambition to become a certified B Corp within the next four years.
âThanks to the B! Pact strategy, we are able to make significant progress on a series of concrete actions as we strive to meet our CSR goals and achieve B Corp certification by 2025. This Triple Commitment to Planet, Food and People evolves who we are as a motivated company and strengthens our ambition for positive impact, âsaid Mathew Caldwell, Head of Corporate Social Responsibility. âWe are proud to report that we have made significant progress against the goals we have set ourselves to achieve by 2025 and are excited about the way ahead. “
Planet: Bonduelle Fresh Americas has made significant progress against targets related to climate change, agricultural practices, water and energy use, waste, packaging, reduction and recycling of virgin plastic. Highlights include:
- Disposed of 18% of its virgin plastic in 2020, surpassing the 5% mark for the year
- The facilities collectively improved their energy efficiency by 4%, which equates to approximately 4,000 tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent removed from the atmosphere
- Manufacturing facilities achieved a 62% waste diversion rate, representing over 22,000 metric tonnes of reused and recycled materials
- 100% of producers use alternative cultivation techniques (ACT) to protect and nourish the land
Food: As part of the business unit’s commitment to Food, Bonduelle Fresh Americas has made progress towards the objectives related to food safety and responsible sourcing. Highlights include:
- 100% of Bonduelle Fresh Americas establishments are certified by the Global Food Safety Initiative (GFSI) each year
- Carrying out a risk assessment in 2020 to better understand and optimize the way in which suppliers contribute to its objective and to the objectives of the B! Pact.
People: As part of the business unit’s commitment to people, Bonduelle Fresh Americas has made progress with respect to objectives related to ethics, human rights, health and safety, fairness and inclusion of diversity and community impact. Highlights include:
- Donated nearly 500,000 pounds of surplus food to those in need through partner organizations – a 500% increase from 2019
- Analysis of employee data and found that 90% of the workforce is identified as racially diverse and found the business unit to have almost equal gender representation (only 1% missed)
- Adoption of the Bonduelle Group Code of Ethics and an updated Code of Conduct, accessible online to employees in 13 different languages.
âThere is no one-size-fits-all solution to the global challenges we face, and no one person, company or organization can solve all the problems encountered,â said Guillaume Debrosse, CEO of the Bonduelle Group. âHowever, at Bonduelle, we believe that we can make a difference by contributing to the well-being of people and the planet. We are proud of the positive impact we have had and we are grateful to our stakeholders for their contribution to these achievements. We will continue to hold ourselves accountable, continue to work to achieve our goals, and continue to be transparent about our progress along the way. “
To continue monitoring progress, go to bonduelleamericas.com/us/impact/ and watch the accompanying video on the Bonduelle Group’s YouTube channel.
ABOUT BONDUELLE AMERICAS STRAWBERRIES
Bonduelle Fresh Americas is a 100% subsidiary of Bonduelle (BON.PA). With four processing plants across the United States, the business unit focuses on fresh vegetables, salads and fresh meal solutions for the Americas. Acquired by Bonduelle in 2017 under the name Ready Pac Foods, renamed Bonduelle Fresh Americas is the most recent of the company’s five business units. The company manufactures a full line of fresh produce and protein products under the company’s Ready Pac Foods brand.®, Bistro®, Snax loan® and fresh cuts® brands. Offerings include fresh cut salads, fresh cut vegetables, snacks and fresh ready meals available where consumers shop and at chain restaurants across North America. Visit Bonduelle Fresh Americas or follow us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
ABOUT BONDUELLE
Bonduelle, a family business, was created in 1853. Its mission is to inspire the transition to a plant-based diet to contribute to human well-being and the health of the planet. Favoring innovation and a long-term vision, the group is diversifying its operations and its geographic presence. Its plant-based food products, grown on more than 310,000 acres worldwide, are sold in 100 countries under various brands and through various distribution channels and technologies. An expert in agriculture with 56 industrial sites or own agricultural production sites, Bonduelle produces quality products by selecting the best terroirs as close as possible to its customers. Visit www.bonduelle.com/fr to find out more.