Sustainability

Preserving all the goodness and purity of fruit and vegetables, without unhealthy additives, is what we at COROOS work on with passion every day. We do this through responsible production, based on innovative techniques and circular principles, without harmful impact on the living environment of people and animals.

At COROOS, sustainability relates to the entire operational management. In the areas of cultivation, raw materials, energy and water consumption, production and packaging, choices are made that contribute to the Sustainable Development Goals* (SDGs). For COROOS, 6 SDGs in particular form the compass for sustainable and social business operations.

We do this from the realisation that we must be able to pass on our businesses and the world we live in to future generations without any objections. We also translate this long-term vision into establishing sustainable relationships with our suppliers and employees, to which we attach great value. COROOS makes sustainability transparent and clear, without many words but with ambition. In this area too, we want to belong to the top of Europe.

Sustainability plan 2019-2024

Water

Reduce pipe and groundwater consumption by 20%; Close the water cycle within COROOS.

Electricity

Increase share of green electricity to 50% by generating your own power or buying from (local) suppliers.

Gas

Reduce overall gas consumption by 10%.

Energy Efficiency

Implement energy efficiency measures in line with plan EED.

Residual flows

Improve valorisation of residual streams, apply Moerman's ladder, phase out single-use plastics own use.

Sustainable development goals

We use 16% less water per tonne of finished product since 2018.

At COROOS, we use a lot of water. We use water to wash our products, to heat or cool our products and as an additive in some of our products. Think, for example, of the little moisture in a jar of peas or green beans.
To achieve this water reduction, since 2020 we have been working on a dozen processes to use water more efficiently within specific areas of our factory.

In addition, the pilot project reuse of process water in agriculture to combat salinisation and help farmers obtain fresh water will run from 2021 to 2024, in cooperation with the water board, the municipality, farmers and the province.

We use 100% green electricity in our factories.

Since 1 January 2023, COROOS has been buying green power from cooperative Zeeuwind. To this end, Zeeuwind and COROOS have entered into a long-term cooperation consisting of the required megawatts for both sites and a joint further exploration of initiatives around renewable energy.

COROOS participates in the IMVO covenant and is a member of Sedex.

COROOS is a member of SEDEX, a leading global ethical trade organisation working to improve working conditions in global supply chains. We have also been actively participating in the IMVO covenant for the food industry since 2019 and appropriate policies continue to be implemented.

We make responsible choices for our waste streams and make our packaging more sustainable.

We have also reduced our natural gas consumption by more than 55,000m3 since 2019 by reusing heat where we can in our factory.

Plastics we use to make combination packaging are being replaced with cardboard. Foils we use for consumer packaging are gradually being replaced by recyclable alternatives.

Canned food that does not find its way to retail due to circumstances is delivered to food banks. Residual flows are raw material for animal feed.

We have reduced our CO2 emissions by 2,737 tonnes since 2018.

For the coming years, we have set targets for reducing_CO2 emissions:
-20% by 2024 and even -50% by 2030.

COROOS has received the bronze sustainability certificate for 2022 from the Ecovadis Sustainability Rating.

COROOS holds SKAL Bio and EKO certifications

With COROOS, we are committed to organic cultivation and organic products. That is why we are EKO-certified. We also have a focus on regional cultivation, reducing the use of crop protection products at our fruit and vegetable growers and we work together with grower cooperatives at home and abroad. We also participate in the Green Deal Protein-rich crops and contribute to the promotion of national biodiversity with the help of temporary nature and bat boxes.