Case Study 18

Recognition of holistic sustainability management

The animal by-products processing industry is committed to driving safety, security, and sustainability in the European animal-based food supply chain in many ways. Acting sustainably is imperative for our companies from an environmental and ethical perspective and many stakeholders, from employees and consumers to NGOs, would like to know how sustainability is implemented by our companies.

EFPRA members operate their production facilities in accordance with management systems to address the Environmental, Quality, Health, Safety and Energy management aspects of their activities; many have accredited systems, based on recognised international standards.

To formalise their sustainability efforts and make them visible to our stakeholders, EFPRA members use several providers of international, independent sustainability-based standards and certification.

“EFPRA members use several providers of international, independent sustainability-based standards and certification.”

Audits are carried out by independent, accredited auditors against a range of indicators under the sustainability pillars of Environment, Economy and Social, in core subjects such as Labour & Human Rights, Ethics and Sustainable Procurement.

They undertake a representative evaluation of our sustainability activities, and their ratings reflect the holistic approach to sustainability that we take. Their feedback identifies areas for continual improvement, guiding our ongoing sustainability journey.

Thousands of companies around the world use these types of Standards and our members choose those that are tailored or approved for sustainable management in similar businesses to our industry, such as food, pharmaceutical raw materials, feed, energy and logistics.

They are our recognition of overall performance and provide a certification that is widely acknowledged and trusted. These accreditations provide the opportunity to transparently communicate the progress that we make.

Many companies are proud to have several recognised approvals covering different sustainability elements such as:

  • EcoVadis Medal

  • ZNU Standard

  • Smeta / Sedex

  • BSI PAS 2060 Carbon Neutrality

  • Science Based Targets Initiative

  • International Sustainability & Carbon Certification (ISCC)

Case Study 18 - Version 1, October 2023