Gourmand Pastries strongly believes that action needs to be taken today to guarantee our success in the future. Therefore, we are working together with customers, suppliers and third parties to improve sustainability throughout the whole value chain.
To realise this commitment we are focusing on three key pillars:
Waste
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Water re-use
Gourmand Pastries collects its rainwater, which is re-used by the carwash next door - a creative solution to give rain water a second life.
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Water monitoring system
A water monitoring system has been set up and is monitored closely. Awareness has been raised and training is given to our cleaning teams to reduce water usage to a minimum.
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Food waste
Our waste dough is reworked for animal feed. Quality and food safety throughout the animal feed chain are guaranteed by our FCA certificate. The waste from meat products is re-used in fermentation installations which produce green energy.
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Office waste
Internal awareness campaigns have been set up to reduce office waste such as cups, paper, etc.
Energy
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Cogeneration
Heat and electricity are generated simultaneously by a gas engine, resulting in energy savings. Water is heated with the heat that is created during this process.
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Heat recovery
The heat produced by our freezers is recovered by a heat pump. This heat is used, amongst other things, to heat our offices.
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Solar panels
The roof of the factory is fully covered with photovoltaic cells that supply 550 MWh of electricity annually. This is a long term investment in renewable energy that lowers our carbon footprint.
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CO2 reduction
Gourmand Pastries is a participant in the sector agreement “Accord de branche 2”, resulting in the agreement to reduce the amount of CO2 emissions by 19.7% between 2013 and 2020.
Sourcing
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Sourcing
- Packaging
- FSC-certified cardboard
Our cardboard boxes are certified by the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC), an international organisation promoting responsible forest management worldwide. Our boxes consist for 70% of FSC Mix, which contains both fibres from FSC-certified forests and recycled fibres.
- Plastic bags
The plastic bags wrapping our products are 100% recyclable and contain no PVC or Bisphenol A.
- Palm oil
Gourmand Pastries is a member of the Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil (RSPO), which offers the opportunity to its customers to certify the palm oil in their products. Gourmand Pastries is in full transition to source only segregated sustainable palm oil as from 2020 in all self-sourced raw materials.
- Purchasing policy
Goods are sourced and stocked in bulk to reduce packaging, decrease transport and augment efficiency.
- Nuts & sustainable cacao
The chocolate products that Gourmand Pastries offers to its customers are Rainforest Alliance certified. As established in the program's code of conduct, RFA-certified chocolates are produced according to a series of environmental and social criteria that promote responsible growing practices and effective agricultural management. Our products containing hazelnuts are also RFA certified and meet the same criteria.
- Cage-free eggs
Gourmand Pastries exclusively uses cage-free eggs, allowing the chickens to roam freely instead of being held in battery cages.
