With the EcoVadis Platinum Medal, Cristal Union is among the world’s top 1% of companies most committed to CSR

With an unprecedented 12-point increase in its overall score in one year, sugar and alcohol producer Cristal Union has been awarded the EcoVadis[1] Platinum Medal. This medal rewards its outstanding performance in all areas of its CSR policy.

With a score of 84/100 (compared to 72/100 in 2023), Cristal Union is well ahead of the average score of European and French companies, which stands at 57.5/100 for all sectors combined and 56.2/100 for the food-processing sector.

On the “Environment” criterion alone, Cristal Union even scored 100/100, showing that the Group is “fully aware of sustainability issues.”

A medal that rewards the Group’s performance across its entire value chain

This medal rewards the ambitious CSR strategy that Cristal Union has been implementing for almost 20 years.

Democratic governance, sustainable farming practices, industrial decarbonization, saving water, transport, packaging, short supply chains,  circular economy, controls, and reporting: every single stage of production has played a part in  the achievement of this outstanding  rating, which rewards both the goals already attained by the Group, and its ambitious targets to be met in the near future.

As a reminder:

• As of 2020, CRISTAL UNION completed the first stage of its energy transition towards less GHG-emitting energies (15% lower GHG emissions and 8% less energy consumed between 2010 and 2020, ISO 14 001 and ISO 50 001 certifications, etc.). In addition, the Group is already ahead of schedule on its new targets for reducing energy consumption and decarbonizing both its agriculture and industry, having achieved its 2030 target of 24% less greenhouse gas emissions compared to 2019!
• CRISTAL UNION is at the forefront of water management, with consumption of groundwater down by two-thirds in just 15 years, and a goal of water self-sufficiency which will be achieved in 2025 by its eight sugar factories and in 2030 by its three distilleries!
• CRISTAL UNION is committed to sustainable agricultural practices (agroecology, crop rotation, low carbon, etc.) and to decarbonizing its downstream supply chain with Fret 21.
• The Group has also embarked on a global analysis of its product life cycles, resulting in eco-designed sugar packaging offerings to its customers and consumers .

[1] EcoVadis is an international leader in the evaluation of CSR management systems within companies. It assesses the policies and actions implemented, as well as the results achieved, in four areas: “Labour and Human Rights”, “Ethics”, “Environment” and “Sustainable Procurement”. This rating, which has been acclaimed by the entire professional ecosystem, is based on transparency criteria and the ability to demonstrate progress. Ecovadis evaluates 130,000 companies worldwide.

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