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BelOrta named SDG Ambassador
Sint-Katelijne-Waver, October 25, 2024 – BelOrta was named SDG Ambassador by UNITAR/Cifal Flanders during Voka's Sustainable Business Day on October 24, 2024. This is a great recognition for our cooperative organization of the efforts we have made over the past years. We are therefore very pleased with this ultimate acknowledgment of our work around sustainability.
Pioneer, Champion, Ambassador
BelOrta has been working according to a clear sustainability policy since its inception. Since 2015, the actions within this policy have been aligned with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), resulting in BelOrta receiving the Voka Charter for Sustainable Business (VCDO) for 10 years. Additional efforts in its sustainability policy in recent years have led the cooperative to be awarded titles such as SDG Pioneer and SDG Champion. Now, the title of SDG Ambassador has been added.
To achieve this new title, BelOrta, in addition to completing the outlined process, also had to meet some additional criteria. Wim Hubrechts, sustainability coordinator at BelOrta: "We play a leading role in the fresh vegetables and fruit sector regarding sustainability. We have a clear future plan and a due diligence process concerning human rights. We know our carbon footprint and have an approved CO2 reduction plan. Furthermore, it is expected that the sustainability policy is embedded in our organization’s operations, and we have demonstrated that we also have a positive societal impact."
Leading role and societal impact
BelOrta regularly informs its stakeholders, including producers, buyers, and consumers, about the sustainability measures taken. The cooperative actively works on initiatives to reduce food waste, from cultivation to the consumption chain. Additionally, BelOrta participates very actively in consultations within various sector organizations. Moreover, all these aspects are clearly communicated in the annual sustainability report.
Sustainability remains an area for improvement
"We have already made significant progress in making BelOrta more sustainable. In the coming years, we will continue to take additional internal steps so that we can proudly promote the title of SDG ambassador. We will pay even more attention to sustainability in our supply chain, including by inventorying the sustainability measures among our member producers. Where necessary, we will inform and motivate producers so that they can also take additional measures towards further sustainability," concludes Wim Hubrechts.