Sustainability

Interfood is committed to sustainability. After all, everything we do comes from nature - so it makes sense to protect her and contribute to a better world for everyone, while serving the food and dairy industry. So we can all enjoy dairy responsibly - now and in the future.

Why sustainability?

Because it’s the right thing to do

Interfood is committed to a sustainable dairy industry. After all, everything we do comes from nature – so it makes sense to protect it while still providing responsible options for the food and dairy industries. But talking about sustainability is easy. What firm actions can you expect from us?

A responsible value chain partner

We’re delivering tangible projects with our customers and suppliers, offering sustainability-driven solutions that provide value for stakeholders while reducing our industry’s environmental impact. We also partner with responsible stakeholders to continuously improve traceability and the sustainability standards of the food supply chain.

A responsible employer

Our values drive our approach to sustainability: Teamwork, Commitment, Continuous Improvement, Professionalism and Responsible Leadership. This is who we are and what drives us to become better professionals in the dairy and food value chain with every activity we undertake. Part of this journey is also to improve on business continuity across all dimensions including the environment, social responsibilities and corporate governance. Finally, we plan to invest in initiatives that contribute to the future-proofness of the food sector and deliver positive impacts for our stakeholders and society at large.

“Climate change is an issue that is becoming more and more urgent every day for us as a society and also for the future of our industry. That is why we want to truly contribute to a more sustainable dairy industry, by setting bold and measurable goals. By engaging in partnerships and combining our customers’ needs with our expertise, we know we can make an impact, living up to our purpose: Together for better’

Frank van Stipdonk, Interfood Group CEO and President

Our approach

In our journey toward a more sustainable future, we go beyond mere strategies and commitments; we put "boots on the ground."

This phrase captures our hands-on, collaborative approach to sustainability, aligning perfectly with our core values of teamwork, commitment, and responsible leadership. It signifies that we’re not just formulating plans but are actively implementing them; from responsible sourcing to ethical practices throughout our supply chain.

We understand the importance of the challenges ahead, and that's why we take a direct role, on location, across the globe, ensuring our sustainability measures are not just effective but also resonate with local communities we touch.

Our "boots on the ground" approach underscores our belief that real progress is made through practical, actionable steps — because when it comes to sustainability, every step counts.

We aim to steer our sustainability efforts such that we can minimise our negative and maximise our positive impacts, while engaging our stakeholders in the process. In order to determine our focus, we conducted a formal materiality assessment, which served to identify the sustainability-related topics which

1) reflect the priorities of our internal and external stakeholders and

2) represent our most significant economic, social and environmental impacts as well as the issues which substantially impact our business.

Our sustainability strategy has been formulated such that all topics presented in the resulting materiality matrix below are incorporated and acknowledged.

Partnerships

We take part in many platforms and initiatives designed to promote sustainability in the food and dairy industry. We believe that the best way to improve dairy sustainability is to drive continuous improvement through partnerships among farmers, cooperatives, exporters, traders, suppliers, society and governments. By partnering with responsible stakeholders such as SDP, Sustainalize and Rabo Carbon Bank we are helping to realise a better future for all – together.

United nations sustainable development goals

Through our dairy sustainability strategy, we want to make an impact on people, planet and profitability, while embracing the UN Sustainable Development Goals. The SDGs to which we contribute significantly are the following:

Promote sustained, inclusive and sustainable economic growth, full and productive employment and decent work for all.

Ensure sustainable consumption and production patterns.

Take urgent action to combat climate change and its impacts.

Strengthen the means of implementation and revitalize the global partnership for sustainable development.

Alongside the UNSDGs, we will measure and report progress towards these goals by means of our Integrated Report, in accordance with the International Integrated Reporting Council (IIRC) principles and the Global Reporting Initiative (GRI) core standard.

Sustainability in action

Find out how we put our goals to practice:

Services

Sustainability solutions

Dairy sustainability is becoming more and more important in the purchase decision making of your end customers. Interfood wants to go beyond offering our core products and services by actively contributing to a sustainable dairy industry and planet.

News

Made Blue clean drinking water projects

In 2015, Interfood Holding signed a long-term commitment with MADE BLUE foundation. Since then, many projects concerning clean drinking water in countries such as Senegal and Ethiopia have been realized.