ForFarmers

Sustainable development strategy
The company discloses a long-term sustainability strategy – “Going Circular For the Future of Farming – covering sustainability topics across the three benchmark dimensions of environment, nutrition and social inclusion. The three main pillars are: transform low value materials into high quality food, no waste of resources and zero pollution. Within this strategy, ForFarmers has set time-bound targets for 2025 and outlined its ambitions for 2030. The company further reports progress against its targets.

No leading practices were identified for the company in the environment measurement area.

No leading practices were identified for the company in the nutrition measurement area.

No leading practices were identified for the company in the social inclusion measurement area.

Governance and accountability
The company has a two-tiered governance approach and discloses that sustainability activities are governed by two committees: the Sustainability Advisory Board and the Sustainability Task Force. The company clarifies that the role of the Sustainability Advisory Board is to provide advice on ForFarmers’ sustainability strategy as well as major trends and challenges that should be considered. However, the company has an opportunity to provide more public information on how it links the governance body’s remuneration to sustainability objectives.

Stakeholder engagement
ForFarmers demonstrates that it undertakes stakeholder engagement activities, providing an overview of the issues raised and how it identifies and engages with each stakeholder category. Moreover, the stakeholder engagement activities cover topics across the three benchmark dimensions. Nevertheless, there remains an opportunity for the company to disclose its process for integrating the outcomes of these activities into its sustainability strategy.

Scope 1, 2 and 3 greenhouse gas emissions
The company has set a 2030 target to achieve a 75% reduction in CO2 per tonne of feed (scope 1 and 2 GHG emissions) compared to 2015, but it does not report progress against the target. Moreover, the company has an opportunity to align its target with a 1.5-degree trajectory. Regarding scope 3 emissions, the company’s 2030 ambitions include achieving a 30% reduction in its upstream segment (feed materials). While the company reports on scope 3 emissions from upstream activities, it is yet to formulate a commitment and report on the emissions from the downstream segment.

Protection of terrestrial natural ecosystems
ForFarmers commits to achieving 100% sustainably sourced soya and palm oil. However, the company has an opportunity to strengthen its commitments towards deforestation and conversion-free (DCF) supply chain and improve its disclosure on the proportion of high-risk commodities covered by DCF commitments.

Soil health and agrobiodiversity
The company discloses qualitative evidence on this topic through its participation in the Delta Plan for Biodiversity Recovery in the Netherlands. However, it has an opportunity to strengthen its commitment by setting targets to increase the percentage of production from sustainable practices that improve soil health and agrobiodiversity, reporting progress against the targets and disclosing quantifiable data on its impact on soil health and agrobiodiversity.

Fertiliser and pesticide use
The company provides quantitative evidence of nitrogen and phosphate efficiency for its operations in the Netherlands. However, It has an opportunity to improve by setting a time-bound target to optimise the use of fertilisers and pesticides.

Availability of healthy foods
While ForFarmers has formulated a commitment to address food security and Sustainable Development Goal 2 (zero hunger), it has an opportunity to disclose activities that support its commitment.

Workforce nutrition
The company does not disclose a workforce nutrition programme that prioritises making healthy foods the standard in the workplace.

Food safety
While the company discloses compliance with European Union regulations on food safety, it has an opportunity to strengthen its commitment by disclosing the percentages of its operations that are certified to widely recognised (industry-specific) certification programmes.

Child labour
The company commits to prohibiting child labour in its own operations and supply chain. However, it does not provide evidence of an age-verification system to prevent child labour in its supply chain.

Forced labour
The company commits to prohibiting forced labour in its own operations and supply chain. While the company commits to respecting workers’ right to freedom of association in its operations, it does not disclose a commitment to collective bargaining. In addition, it has an opportunity to disclose a commitment that prohibits any form of intimidation of workers seeking to exercise these rights in its supply chain.

Health and safety of vulnerable groups
The company does not disclose that it specifically recognises the health and safety risks to vulnerable groups, such as migrant and temporary labourers, women and young farmers.

Living wage
The company does not disclose that it pays its workers a living wage or requires its suppliers to do the same. Neither has it set targets to do so in the future.

ForFarmers provides grievance mechanisms for both its workers and third parties. However, it does not have a sufficient overall commitment to respect human rights. While ForFarmers publicly commits to respecting the ILO core labour rights in its supply chain, it lacks a publicly available policy statement committing it to respect the right to collective bargaining in its own operations. Moreover, no evidence of a human rights due diligence process and stakeholder engagement was found in the public domain.

The company commits to health and safety, collective bargaining, workforce diversity and gender equality. However, it can improve its commitments by increasing disclosure on key metrics related to these topics. For example, the company does not disclose the number and rate of fatalities as a result of work-related injuries. Moreover, it has not made a commitment to pay workers a living wage in its own operations and supply chain.

ForFarmers publicly discloses policies and statements on the protection and use of personal data. Moreover, the company discloses a global tax strategy and its income payments for all its tax jurisdictions. While it commits to prohibiting corruption and bribery, it can improve its disclosure by describing the process for identifying these risks and their impacts in specific locations or activities covering its own operations. Additionally, no evidence of a statement on responsible lobbying and political engagement was found in the public domain.