Royal Cosun, the international agri-food cooperative, is taking an important step in its sustainability ambitions. Minister Sophie Hermans (Climate and Green Growth) and five provinces signed a Joint Letter of Intent (JLoI) with Cosun today. This agreement is an intermediate step towards binding agreements on investments and reducing greenhouse gases and nitrogen. Although Cosun is not among the 20 largest emitters in the Netherlands, it is one of the companies with which the government also wants to make agreements through the tailor-made approach because of the significant contribution Cosun can make to making industry more sustainable.
Working together to secure the future
Hans Meeuwis, CEO of Cosun: “At Cosun, we are building a future-proof and sustainable company. Three elements are crucial to this: a strong earnings model for our members, a relevant plant-based portfolio and further sustainability improvements across our entire chain. The tailor-made approach and cooperation with the government are indispensable to achieve our sustainability goals for 2030 at our production sites.
We therefore particularly appreciate today’s signing of this joint letter of intent with the state and provinces. At the same time, it is clear that substantial investments are only feasible if there is sufficient certainty of returns. Competitive framework conditions and predictable, supportive policies are therefore essential. These elements deserve continued attention in Dutch policy. The coming months will be devoted to further elaborating and concretising the agreements made.”
Less CO₂ and nitrogen
Cosun is working to reduce its CO₂ emissions towards 2030, in line with the Paris climate goals. The plans have been developed in a series of projects across six factories. The measures focus on:
- Use of industrial heat pumps
- Electrification of processes
- More biogas and green gas production
- Phasing out lime kiln emissions
This will reduce not only CO₂ emissions but also energy consumption and nitrogen (NOx) emissions. In addition to the sustainability package at six locations, Cosun is investing in further environmental improvements, with extra attention being paid to reducing ammonia emissions in North Brabant and Groningen and water savings in Gelderland.
Financial support
To enable investments in CO₂ reduction, the government is making up to €105 million available from the Climate Fund. This support is intended for parts of the plan that fall outside existing subsidy schemes. In addition, it has been agreed that Cosun may not trade the emission rights released as a result of this sustainability drive – to prevent emissions simply returning elsewhere.
Towards binding agreements
The signing of the JLoI is a final step before the national government, the provinces concerned and Cosun reach binding tailor-made agreements. The plans will be worked out in the coming period, with preconditions such as a predictable policy, stable regulations and a level playing field with neighbouring countries being crucial. The ambition is to finalise the agreements this year. With these plans, Cosun, as one of the largest agri-food companies in the Netherlands, is helping to make its factories more sustainable.