The global baked goods company is on a mission to fight climate change by switching to 100% sustainable wheat.
Noting that 70% of the world’s CO2 emissions come from wheat planting and growing, it sources its most of its grains from local farmers who follow good practices, including the use of certified seeds, reduced use of fertilizers, crop rotation and field-to-table traceability.
To date, Europastry has sourced wheat harvested from 5,300 hectares under these principles and aims to expand this to 20,000 hectares by 2025. It has also created the ‘Responsible Flours’ seal to enable consumers to clearly identify the products made on this basis.
The Spanish frozen dough for bread, rolls, pastries and snacks producer also currently uses only electricity from renewable sources.
It is now taking its commitment a step further with new targets for 2021 to further reduce its carbon footprint by 36%, its water consumption by 28% and its gas consumption by 8%.
“All the actors in the food chain have to collaborate and do their part to ensure that the planet is inhabitable for our children,” said Jordi Gallés, CEO of Europastry.
“What will coming generations say about us if we go beyond the point of no return when we still have the means to avoid it? Together with our suppliers and customers, we want to lead this change.”
Reducing food miles
According to Europastry, it has been working to find solutions that will enable it to operate more sustainably ‘for years’.
In a statement, it said it actively promotes collaboration between farmers, mills, manufacturers and distributors to add transparency to everything that happens between the field and the consumer’s table.
“By working closely with local suppliers, we are already reducing food miles and the resulting environmental impact, and we exercise exhaustive control over the traceability of our products.
“In addition, our products are made with 100% natural ingredients and processes that use 100% green energy from renewable sources.”
It added its commitment to green energy at all its production plants has led to a reduction of 50,000 tonnes of CO2 emissions a year.
Europastry also uses recyclable packaging for its entire product portfolio, which it distributes with its sustainable fleet of electric bicycles, natural gas-powered trucks and mega-trucks that have a larger freight capacity and use less polluting fuels.
Europastry was founded in 1987 and today runs 22 production plants and 26 sales offices around the world. In 2019, it reached €851m in turnover and launched more than 400 new products to the market.
The Crystallino, Sélection d’Or and Dots brand owner holds numerous sustainability certificates, including the Organic Farming Certificate for its Bio range and the UTZ cacao certificate for the chocolate used for its bakery fillings and frostings.