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Paardekooper’s first sustainability report

‘This sustainability report is yet another major step forward. It was produced in anticipation of the CSR Directive, which foresees compulsory reporting for the year 2025. By setting our KPIs now, we will soon be in a position to measure our progress for real. Producing a sustainability report also throws up insights. Which is valuable in itself. Now that we have brought everything together in a single report, we can better assess whether and in what areas we are on track, and even identify areas that we may have neglected. I also see this report as a good summary to inform and even inspire our colleagues. At Paardekooper, we really do work together on sustainability.’

Shared language

‘Change doesn't happen overnight. We are on a complex playing field with lots of different, even conflicting interests. The first and most important step is to create a ‘shared language’ around sustainable packaging. To do that, we created an assortment classification in 2022 by which we classify products in terms of sustainability in a clear and unambiguous way. This standardised approach assists our analysis and planning and steers a course for sustainability, both internally and in conjunction with our customers and suppliers.’

Different approach 

Susan's decision to go for a packaging company produced a few astonished reactions among the people around her. ‘For many people, packaging and sustainability don't mix. That assumption is not entirely correct, although in fact, there are still plenty of (environmental) gains to be made here. Paardekooper has such a broad customer base that what I saw, essentially, was the potential for massive impact. We aim to use RESPECT to begin a positive movement in the packaging industry, based on people's internal belief that things can and should be done better. For me, sustainability is not so much a job, but a vocation. Once you see the importance of sustainability, there is no getting around it. Sustainability calls for a different way of living, doing business and packaging. That conviction is what motivates the Paardekooper family and fixes their eyes on the future.’

Making an impact with our Recy Sleeve -
waste plastic becomes a flower sleeve.

‘For me, sustainability is not so much a job,
but a vocation. Once you see the importance of sustainability, there is no getting around it.’

‘This sustainability report is yet another major step forward.
It was produced in anticipation of the CSR Directive, which foresees compulsory reporting for the year 2025.'

As Group Manager for Sustainability, Susan is responsible for the roll-out and continued development of the Royal Dutch Paardekooper Group’s sustainability strategy. Prior to this she has spent a good fourteen years as a sustainability consultant for several companies. ‘I didn't have the luxury of a long-term approach in my previous jobs, and I found that what I actually wanted was just one company to focus on. Not merely giving advice, but seeing real results, growing together and having an increasingly positive impact. And so last year I arrived at Paardekooper.’

Susan van Kruijsbergen
Group Manager Sustainability KPG