SUSTAINABILITY
Meeting Tomorrow's Demand
For COFCO International 'meeting tomorrow’s demand' means using our critical position within international supply chain to do business in a responsible and sustainable way.
We are convinced that our success depends on a strong economic, social and environmental performance, with this triple value creation being key to long term profitability. Our sustainability strategy is focused on five strategic objectives:
- Safeguarding standards
- Taking care of our people
- Connecting supply and demand responsibly
- Managing our environmental impact
- Building strong communities
UN Global Compact (UNGC)
Our sustainability strategy is aligned with UNGC’s ten universal principles on human rights, labour, environment and anti-corruption and we incorporate the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) within our strategic objectives.
SAFEGUARDING STANDARDS
At COFCO International, we believe that corporate governance and compliance are critical components of our success. We strive to maintain stakeholder confidence and balance the Company’s commercial objectives with legal, environmental and social responsibilities through good governance, compliance with applicable laws and regulations, transparency, and safe, quality-assured products.
No company can achieve its objectives without balancing its commercial, legal and social responsibilities and maintaining the long-term confidence of its stakeholders. At the same time, our customers and distributors expect us to deliver goods that are not only safe, but also live up to their expectations.
Our Code of Conduct is designed to safeguard the Company’s legal and quality standards while ensuring we conduct our business with integrity. Critical supply chain processes such as storage, handling, and quality control are closely monitored at all our locations.
TAKING CARE OF OUR PEOPLE
We seek to enable our people to be the driving force behind our business by respecting internationally recognized human rights, providing a safe and healthy work environment, attracting the right people for the right jobs and offering employees opportunities to maximize their potential.
With an international footprint and diverse business lines, our workforce is very diverse with regards to race, religion, gender, age, ethnic origin and culture. Our Human Rights and Labour Policy spells out our respect for internationally recognized human rights and our commitment to treat our employees fairly and respectfully. In fact, to ensure a culture of respect, open dialogue and empower employees, we provide them with a mechanism to report their concerns confidentially, anonymously and without fear of reprisal.
At COFCO International, one of our top priorities is ensuring our employees are able to work in a healthy and safe environment. Under the guidance of our Occupational Health and Safety Policy , we promote a culture of safety-awareness, through the application of safety principles and the management of risks in the workplace. Our health and safety management systems are in accordance with internationally recognized standards, such as OHSAS 18001. Systematic occupational health and safety training is provided to all employees and contractors in our operations, including the use of protective equipment, emergency response protocol and the use of technical equipment, amongst others. A series of standardized indicators help us to closely track the safety performance at each site, with objectives established to ensure continuous improvement.
CONNECTING SUPPLY AND DEMAND RESPONSIBLY
As the world reaches the limits of arable land, COFCO International strives to create responsible and innovative solutions to secure the world’s future food supply.
Meeting this challenge requires working together. We’re entering new partnerships, increasing agricultural productivity through responsible innovation, and managing our supply chains in an efficient and responsible way that allows us to better connect supply and demand.
Through our Supplier Code of Conduct and commodity-specific sourcing policies , we actively pursue long-term relationships with our suppliers based on responsible and sustainable agricultural practices. We require our suppliers to apply good agricultural practices and meet among others criteria on deforestation and biodiversity conservation. This helps us secure our future food supply without causing emissions from land use change, biodiversity loss or environmental deterioration.
MANAGING ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT
At COFCO International, we are committed to reduce our environmental impact by managing the inputs of our operations in an environmentally responsible manner.
This includes reducing our carbon emissions, using energy and water efficiently and the re-use or recycling of waste where possible. Our Environmental Policy underlines this commitment, while our environmental management systems are implemented in accordance with internationally recognized standards, such as ISO 14001.
We work to grow our business while becoming more energy efficient, including investments in clean technology and carbon emissions reduction initiatives. Based on annual carbon emissions monitoring, we identify emission reduction opportunities and implement energy-efficient projects to reduce our footprint.
BUILDING STRONG COMMUNITIES
The success of our Company depends on the strength of the communities that surround us.
We strive to empower underprivileged people to improve their future within the context of international agribusiness by implementing community engagement programs.
Community issues such as literacy, depopulation, and sanitation directly affect our business. Our daily operations generate employment, boost economic growth, and affect the livelihoods of local communities. Understanding their needs and concerns through dialogue is a crucial component of our commitment to sustainability and to the long-term health of our business.
We believe in supporting and growing in tandem with the neighbouring communities in which we operate. We do so by implementing community engagement programs based upon defined criteria in the areas where our impact and needs are highest, including Brazil, Argentina, Paraguay, Uruguay and Romania.