Verstegen is B Corp
'Great Taste, Better Future!' That is Verstegen's mission in a nutshell. We want to combine the best flavours with a positive impact on the world. As a family business, we believe that together we can make a difference for the next generations. That we can do business with attention and love for people and nature.
Verstegen is B Corp certified! This certification underscores the sustainable course we follow to contribute to creating a positive impact.
B Corp and our sustainable ambitions
“Doing good comes naturally to Verstegen. As a family business, we feel responsible for everyone in the chains and for future generations. We recognize this philosophy at B Corp and all affiliated companies and we would like to be part of it. Communicating sustainable ambitions together, in a way that is recognisable to consumers, is very important to realize the ambitions. With a score of 81.9 we are on the right track!”
Marianne van Keep
Chief Sustainability Officer
"Together, we can change something in this world. We can create a company that is even better for the environment, society and the people around us. In this way, we can pass on not only Verstegen, but also the world, to the next generation in a good way. The B Corp score is a great result and encourages us even more to further promote our sustainable vision. In the coming years, our focus will be on the climate."
Mark Schrauwen
CEO
What exactly is B Corp?
You may have heard of it before: 'B Corp' stands for 'Benefit for All'. Companies with this title have been verified by B Lab, a global non-profit organisation, to meet high standards of social and environmental performance, transparency and accountability. The B Corp certification is an international certification for for-profit companies that have a large, positive impact on people and the environment. These companies - small and large - have made sustainability a permanent part of their DNA and know how to create value in multiple way
Our plans: Great Taste, Better Future
We stop taking from the earth and start giving something back. We are even considering giving back so much that we can compensate for the loss of the three generations before us – in the entire history of Verstegen.
This would mean that we can enter the future with a clean slate. To this end, we have determined our ambitions and recorded steps in our business strategy in 2022, in the program: 'Great Taste, Better Future'. We apply three core values: biodiverse , social and circular.
Biodiverse
We want to promote biodiversity and protect all life on earth, We do this with sustainable initivitves. Such as responsible agriculture, green energy and rainwater purification
Social
We want to pay attention to people and contribute to society. Our aim is to create an enviroment in all our chains in which everyone feels safe and can fully utilise his of her talents
Circular
We want to reduce our enviromental impact and limit our waste. We strive for a cleaner world, in which we jointly take responsibility for our planet. We minimise waste and give raw materials a second life and embrace circularity
What does the B Corp certificate mean for Verstegen?
With the certificate in hand, we show that our intended ambitions are being achieved. At the same time, Verstegen inspires and supports other companies in pursuing sustainable goals, creating an even greater impact.
How do you become a B Corp?
To become a B Corp certified, a company must meet strict requirements. Certified B Corps are also legally required to consider the impact of their decisions on people and the environment. They do this by recording their sustainable mission in their articles of association.
Certified B Corps are also transparent and share their B Impact Report – a summary of their impact and score on the five themes – on B Lab's Global Directory. Verstegen's score can also be viewed here. Verstegen has now achieved the certificate with a score of 81.9 points
Five categories: governance, environment, employees, community and customers
The requirements can be divided into five categories: governance, environment, employees, community and customers. These requirements are in line with our ambitions.
We want to achieve the following by 2035:
Management
Our ambition for 2035: all our herbs and spices come from regenerative (restorative) agriculture and we have an overview of all costs of all chains.
Enviroment
The pursuit of a cleaner world, in which we jointly take responsibility for our planet, is acheived, amoung other things, by investing in green energy and a climate-neutral office building.
Employees
Not only the well-being of the planet, but also that of our people is important to Verstegen. We ensure that all our employees feel safe, heard, healthy and important.
Community
In addition to our employees, we also take good care of our suppliers. In all our chains, everyone has a decent income. Our chains are also free from child labour and forced labour.
Biodiverse
We like to work together with customers on the same ambitions. This allows us to not only maintain the quality of our tasty products, but also to guarantee the sustainable cultivation of herbs and spices in the long term.
