At Alpro, sustainability and economic growth go hand in hand. By putting our healthy, sustainable and innovative plant-based foods into the mainstream, we are creating shared value, helping both society and our company to thrive. That’s the core of our vision on sustainability: we want to be part of the solution.
Alpro’s ambitions for growing a sustainable business are centered on three strategic pillars, built on the current strengths of our core business:
1. HEALTHY FOOD
“Developing healthy and tasty plant-based foods for everyone’s wellbeing”
Rebalancing between animal-based and plant-based foods brings numerous health benefits. A plate filled with two-thirds plant-based foods is a great way to help take care of your health and well-being. At Alpro we continuously strive to make plant-based foods even tastier and to optimize their nutritional profiles. In this, reducing sugars and saturated fats are key focus points for 2020.
Highlight: sugars reduction, our years-long effort
There are many different types of sugars. Some are naturally present in foods, some are added, but all sugars get treated by the body in a similar way and provide the same amount of calories – 4kcal per gram of sugar. We achieved a 12% reduction in sugars in our complete portfolio between 2006 and 2014 and are targeting a further 12,5% by 2020 as part of our long term ‘sugars vision and strategy’.
2.SUSTAINABLE FOOD
“Living comfortably within the natural capacity of our planet”
Alpro and plant-based eating can be part of the solution to make our food system more sustainable. Plant-based foods use less natural resources such as land, water and energy compared to animal-based products. In order to further improve the performance of our products, our key focus points for 2020 are carbon reduction, sustainable sourcing of our ingredients and making the most of water.
Highlight: local sourcing soya beans, a significant step towards true sustainability Local sourcing helps securing the supply of non-GMO soya beans, builds shorter supply chains and makes local agriculture more sustainable. We have reintroduced soya bean cultivation in France, and in Belgium we have entered in a partnership to develop the right variety suited to our climate. All while providing added value to the farmers as rotation crop.
3.PROFITABLE GROWTH
“Driving growth through innovation, communication and partnerships”
Alpro has set out a very ambitious innovation and growth strategy to take its plant-based products even further into the mainstream. Making a variety of tasty and attractive plant-based products widely available to consumers is a fundamental part of our sustainable development strategy. Key focus points for 2020 to achieve that growth include innovation, communication and strategic partnerships.
Highlight: partnerships with our customers, creating win-win opportunities
We are already working closely with a number of our customers to make our plant-based products ever more widely available in stores throughout Europe. We intend to cross-fertilise sustainability strategies and work out ‘win-win’ opportunities for a maximum sustainability and health impact!
Each pillar contributes to achieving our vision of “Changing the way the world eats for the better”, which is at the heart of our day-to-day work at Alpro.