Suedzucker

No leading practices were identified for the company in the governance and strategy measurement area.

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.

Sustainable development strategy
The company has begun the process of establishing a holistic and long-term sustainability strategy by conducting an identification and prioritisation process through which it has defined the sustainability topics that are most relevant to its operations and its supply chain. However, the company has not yet set time-bound targets for most of these topics and moreover, the company has not included topics related to the nutrition measurement area. The company is therefore encouraged to set time-bound targets which cover all benchmark dimensions, as well as its value chain and to include a long-term perspective.

Governance and accountability for sustainable development
The company does not disclose the governance structure for the implementation of its sustainable development strategy or targets, such as the person, team or committee that holds ultimate responsibility for its implementation.

Stakeholder engagement
The company does not disclose stakeholder engagement activities, including how it selects the stakeholders, nor an overview of the topics discussed or their outcomes.

Scope 1 and 2 greenhouse gas emissions
The company has disclosed its strategy towards reducing greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions is aligned with the goals set forth by the European Green Deal and intends to contribute to climate neutrality towards 2050. While the company has disclosed its emissions consistently and shows reductions, it has yet to set a pathway to achieve carbon neutrality. In order to better perform in this matter, the company should set time-bound targets towards its climate neutrality ambition, and report progress against them.

Scope 3 greenhouse gas emissions
While the company discloses qualitative evidence of efforts to reduce its scope 3 emissions, it has an opportunity to strengthen its commitment by setting targets and reporting against them.

Soil health and agrobiodiversity
While the company discloses qualitative evidence through its participation in a number of activities that contribute towards soil health, 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.

Water use
While the company discloses its water withdrawals and discharges it does not demonstrate quantitative reductions in water withdrawals across its own operations.

Availability of healthy foods
While the company has a commitment to increase the availability of healthy and nutritious foods, it has an opportunity to undertake activities that contribute to increasing the production, quality and/or variety of healthy and nutritious foods.

Accessibility and affordability of healthy foods
While the company has a commitment to address food insecurity, it has an opportunity to develop value chain partnerships and/or projects specifically designed to address the accessibility of healthy and nutritious foods.

Food safety
While the company discloses evidence that some sites of its own operations are certified to a GFSI-recognised food safety scheme, it does not demonstrate that all its own operations are certified to a GFSI-recognised food safety scheme.

Child labour
While the company commits to prohibiting child labour in its own operations and requires its suppliers to adhere to the same standard, it has an opportunity to disclose a policy requiring its suppliers to have an age-verification system in place.

Forced labour
While the company commits to prohibiting forced labour in its own operations and supply chain, it has an opportunity to disclose a requirement that prohibits its suppliers from retaining workers’ personal documents and restricting workers’ freedom of movement.

Farmer and fisher productivity and resilience
The company has provided qualitative evidence on having a commitment towards farmer and fisher productivity and resilience. Südzucker discloses providing guidance and expertise in topics such as soil treatment, seed selection, plant protection and soil fertility. The company could improve its commitment towards this topic by demonstrating it is measuring the outcomes and impacts of all of its programs in a holistic manner.

Land rights
The company does not commit to recognising and respecting the legitimate tenure rights related to the ownership and use of land of local communities.

Südzucker has committed to respecting human rights and ILO core labour rights in its own operations and supply chain and has made grievance mechanisms available to both internal and external individuals and communities. However, the company has not set in place a human rights due diligence process, nor disclosed how it engages with stakeholders that are affected or could be affected by their activities.

Südzucker has disclosed its commitments to promoting the health and safety of its workers and those in its supply chain. The company has also disclosed some metrics related to health and safety, workforce diversity and gender equality and women’s empowerment. However, no further policies or commitments regarding key elements of this topic, notably on living wage, working hours, gender, and collective bargaining, were found in the public domain.

Südzucker has disclosed both a commitment and a statement regarding data protection. The company has also committed to an anti-corruption and anti-bribery policy, though no risk mapping or reporting mechanisms were disclosed. Furthermore, the company has disclosed no commitments regarding lobbying and political engagement or a responsible tax strategy.