How Délifrance is taking on climate change

“We are convinced that we can have a positive impact on our future – a future where the Earth is habitable – and for that, we must protect the planet’s precious resources,” said CEO Robert O’Boyle.

To set this in motion, the company launched its CSR strategy in September 2022, cementing its commitment by aligning with the Science Based Targets Initiative (SBTi), “a strong signal that will enable us to align our ambitions with the science and establish our credibility on carbon issues,” said O’Boyle.

Created in 2015 by the Carbon Disclosure Project (CDP), the United Nations Global Compact (UNGC), the World Resources Institute (WRI) and the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF), the Science-Based Target initiative (SBTi) helps companies to define GHG emissions reduction targets that are consistent with science and the objectives of the Paris Agreement, aimed at limiting the temperature increase to 1.5°C above pre-industrial levels.

“The first priority was to submit our decarbonization roadmaps to SBTi; focusing on our biggest areas of impact in terms of greenhouse gas emissions: raw materials purchasing, energy and refrigerant gases used in our factories and freight,” added CSR director Natalie Genebes.

Sustainability milestoneFollowing the publication of its first-ever CSR report earlier this year, Délifrance’s efforts received the thumbs up from SBTi. The objectives certified include a 42% reduction in greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions for scopes 1 and 2, as well as 29% reduction in GHG emissions for scope 3, all by 2030. These reduction targets align with its parent company – French cooperative group VIVESVIA – and are also consistent with the goals of the Paris Agreement.

“Achieving SBTi certification reflects our deep commitment to sustainability and the validation of our efforts to integrate environmental responsibility into our core business strategy,” said Ganebe.

“As a leading manufacturer of baked goods, we are dedicated to continuing our work in reducing our carbon footprint, to reaching our 2030 targets and supporting the ambitious climate goals of VIVESCIA Group.”

Broader goalDélifrance has also set itself an ambitious goal of sourcing non-deforestation raw materials by the end of 2025, along with other environmental issues such as packaging, food waste, water consumption and preserving biodiversity.

According to O’Boyle, the company’s environmental charter will enter into force at all its factories in mid-2025.

“Our CSR strategy enables us to stand out from the competition and to provide our customers with the best possible support by meeting, among other things, their own decarbonization challenges,” he said.

“It makes energy efficiency and rethinking our energy and logistics systems a key priority, and this will also make economic sense.”

Added Genebe, “The strategy is feeding into product innovations such as our range becoming increasingly plant-based, as well as process innovations and partnerships with NGOs, etc. It also enables us to communicate, to offer greater transparency to all our teams and to meet their high expectations when it comes to corporate commitments.”