Strategy and CSR

The Group has engaged a radical transformation of its model, involving the transformation of its brands and an acceleration in its CSR roadmap.

Its disruptive strategic plan is based on four pillars of action:

• Building positive brands that are meaningful and a driver for change,
• Accelerating positive innovation to develop sustainably in each of its categories – snacking and cooking solutions – and to face the challenge of plant-based foods,
• Growing in key geographies for the Group and reaching critical mass in new markets,
• Winning in stores and in all distribution channel, by strengthening its actions in e-commerce and catering outside the home.

BUILDING POSITIVE BRANDS

Allying healthy indulgence, convenience, and fun, Bel brands convey positive values, always in sync with consumer expectations for food.

To offer even more responsible products, the Group has initiated the sustainable transformation of its brands by working on four key challenges essential for its value chain: sustainable farming, caring nutrition, environmental footprint, and people’s well-being. To create awareness of their responsible commitments, Bel brands are strengthening their visibility and delivering clear information in their marketing actions.

Beyond this constant improvement approach, their strength as well as their distinctive product offers to meet local consumer needs continue to offer substantial geographical growth prospects for the future.

ACCELERATING POSITIVE INNOVATION

Innovation is in Bel’s very DNA and central to the growth of its brands.

The corporate mission – “Champion healthier and responsible food for all” – provides a framework for the Group’s innovation momentum to offer all consumers throughout the world healthier and responsible snacks and meal solutions, suitable for all occasions.

By improving the nutritional profile of products, offering new flavours, new formats or new usages, Bel teams are constantly innovating to maintain consumers’ preference. In 2018, the Group launched more than 40 innovations or product renovations.

GROWING IN KEY GEOGRAPHIES FOR THE GROUP

Whether in territories where they are already sold or in new geographies yet to be developed, Bel brands maintain strong growth potential. Their single-serving portions format as well as the Group’s ability to grasp markets and rapidly establish a presence, particularly in areas with fast demographic growth, bodes well for continued strong geographical expansion potential.

WINNIG IN STORES AND IN ALL DISTRIBUTION CHANNELS

Access to consumers throughout the world is a strategic challenge for developing Bel brands, which are sold in more than 130 countries. The increasing diversity of eating habits, the emergence of new distribution circuits and models, as well as consumer expectations in terms of purchasing experience are all new challenges that Bel must take up to promote the visibility and accessibility of its brands.

To become a major player in healthy snacks, the Group needs to expand its brand presence to all channels favoured by consumers such as e-commerce, specialized organic food stores, and on-the-go sales circuits.

Our goals by 2025

In 2015, the Bel Group launched its “Big Bel” strategic plan to accelerate growth and transformation by 2025 through investment in the growing healthy eating market and, in doing so, to double its size.

Achieving this ambition is based on our strategic pillars which guide our approach to continuous improvement. Our mission and commitments are designed to ensure continued interest from consumers and to strengthen corporate social responsibility. Bel offers responsible products by working on five critical aspects of its value chain:

PROMOTING SUSTAINABLE AGRICULTURE

Soil erosion, water stress, and the carbon impact of livestock farming are all challenges for the agricultural sector. Agriculture accounts for nearly a quarter of global carbon emissions. On the other hand it is essential to ensure that food resources are available in sufficient quality and quantity to feed more than 9 billion people by 2050.

While agriculture is often presented as the problem, we at Bel are convinced that it can be the solution. The future of the world’s food supply depends on our ability to move towards innovative, sustainable, and regenerative agriculture, with farmers and producers.

Our priorities: to act for a sustainable dairy industry, to stay mobilized for animal welfare and to ensure our raw materials come from responsible sources.

To go further…

• 100% of milk from cows fed without GMOs by 2025
• 100% of milk from cows with access to pasture in traditional pastoral areas

CONTRIBUTING TO HEALTHIER FOOD

At Bel, we’ve made healthier and responsible food for all the heart of our corporate mission. Offering portioned products, our speciality, fully contributes to this mission: it is what allows us to offer our consumers the right dose, both from a quantitative and nutritional point of view.

With products consumed by 400 million people worldwide, Bel has a major role to play in providing safe, nutritious and balanced food to as many people as possible.
Our commitments: to improve the nutritional quality of our products, to consistently strive for greater naturalness, and to encourage good eating habits.

To go further…

Our commitments for 2025:

• 80% of products for children and familieswill comply with the Bel Nutri+ criteria, our internal nutritional profiling system based on WHO guidelines (72% of products do so today)
• 100% of subsidiaries will have implemented the Healthy Smiles program

DESIGNING RESPONSIBLE PACKAGING

The individual portion is at the heart of the Bel model and serves our mission: to offer healthier and more responsible food for all. It makes products more accessible, provides the right nutritional amount and helps avoid food waste. It also means that we, at Bel, have a responsibility to implement a committed and innovative packaging management policy at every stage of our products’ life.

Our eco-design approach

When it comes to packaging, our approach is one of eco-design. We favour options that reduce the overall amount of packaging, reduce the number of materials used, and choose to use raw materials that are recyclable, renewable and/or produced close to the manufacturing sites.

Priority is given to paper or cardboard to use renewable resources and facilitate recyclability.

100% of packaging recyclable or biodegradable by 2025, strong commitment that we have made and on which we are making progress every day.

FIGHTING CLIMATE CHANGE

At Bel, we consider the fight against climate change to be a priority. In 2003, we joined the United Nations Global Compact, thus initiating a process of progress most notably for the preservation of the environment.

Today, we aim to reduce our carbon footprint by 27.5% per ton of products produced between 2017 and 2030, across our entire value chain, a goal approved by the Science Based Targets Initiative and in line with the Paris Agreement.

To achieve this ambitious goal, we have devised a list of commitments to reduce our environmental and ecosystem footprint, from farm to fork.

This means taking action at our own industrial sites (with the aim of making our plants carbon neutral by 2025), but also working with our entire ecosystem to minimize the environmental impact of activities ranging from the production of raw materials to the end-of-life of products, including their transport and distribution.

To go further…

• Reducing by 27.5% our carbon emissionsper ton of product produced between 2017 and 2030 across our value chain (target validated in 2019 by Science Based Target)
• Contributing to the carbon neutralityof Bel plants in 2025
• Guaranteeing our raw materials are certified “Zero deforestation” in 2025
• Ensuring over 50% of energy from renewable sources at our production sites by 2025
• Reducing our water consumptionper ton of product by 80% in our plants between 2008 and 2025
• Making sure 100% of paper/cardboard packagingis from recycled sources or certified from sustainably managed forests.

INCREASING THE ACCESSIBILITY OF OUR PRODUCTS

Since its creation, the individual portion has been at the heart of the Bel model and contributes to the accessibility of our products. Because we are committed to providing a healthier and more responsible diet for all, we want our portioned products to allow everyone to enjoy healthy and balanced snacks that can be easily transported and consumed in the right amount, at home or on the go.

Making our products accessible means having product ranges that are affordable for the greatest number of people and adapting the recipes to local nutritional needs.

Making our products accessible also means developing new distribution models, mainly via street vendors.

Thanks to these new distribution models, Bel offers its products through channels that match local distribution methods, while having a positive impact on local communities.

Offering good products accessible to all and for all

To go further…

• An organic offerfor each of our major international brands by 2022.
• Targeting 80 000 vendors participating in Bel’s Inclusive Business program by 2025.
• In the long run, we are aiming for a balance between dairy products on one hand, and vegetable or fruit products on the other.

BRANDS THAT BLEND PLEASURE, QUALITY, AND RESPONSIBILITY

Bel brands deliver fun healthy snack portions to over 400 million consumers. They have won and maintain the trust of families all around the world by continuously reinventing themselves.

A special place in consumers’ daily lives

Our brands are, above all, a source of pleasure. Their recipes, taste, and the way they are eaten vary from one country to another to meet local consumer expectations. Available on five continents, they have forged strong heartfelt consumer bonds, sprinkled with cheerfulness and always synonymous with smiles.

Innovative and responsible brands

The first challenge of Bel brands is to constantly reinvent themselves. Product innovation, recipe improvements, enhanced natural content, new functionalities, and a novel approach to advertising are just some of the ingredients required to keep Bel brands the preferred brands of consumers. They embody the Group’s sustainable growth model and reflect Bel’s commitment to its entire value chain from farm to fork.