Non-material sustainability topics

Progress on other sustainable development targets from our Advance 2025 strategy

Preserving what matters

Innovation projects contributing to the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)

Corbion assesses its innovation projects on their SDG contribution, as part of the innovation stage gate process since 2020. Since then, we consistently reported 100% alignment of our innovation projects with the SDGs, meeting our 2025 target. We will therefore no longer report this KPI going forward. Corbion remains committed to focusing its innovation efforts on projects that contribute to the SDGs.

Raw material/supplier risk assessment

We assess all our raw materials and suppliers on potential risks related to sustainability in our security-of-supply assessment, which is updated annually. To provide transparency on the outcome of the security-of-supply process, we defined targets on the % of high-risk raw material/supplier combinations and on the % of high-risk raw material/supplier combinations with mitigation plans in 2020. Since 2022, we achieved our 2025 targets. We will therefore no longer report this KPI going forward. Corbion remains committed to performing sustainability risk assessments for its raw materials and suppliers.

Training completion rates

Every year, all Corbion employees follow mandatory training on our Code of Business Conduct, which is available in six languages. Employees receive training through an e-learning course or a classroom session. Course materials are updated yearly, based on the most relevant risks at the time of the release and the topics brought up in Speak Up reports of the previous year. The target group of employees for this training includes all employees, interns, and contingent workers. Due to the inclusion of interns in our target group of employees, we adjusted our target to >95% in 2024. Corbion has a strict policy on attendance to the Code of Business Conduct training, with a 97% completion rate in 2024. In addition, selected groups of employees follow mandatory e-learning training every two years with respect to anticorruption and competition law. In 2024, 535 employees (from the Sales, Procurement, Logistics, and Legal and Compliance departments, as well as middle and senior management) participated in the Competition law e-learning training, which had a 100% completion rate. For both trainings, we have met our 2025 and 2030 targets, and therefore we will no longer report these KPIs going forward.

Preserving health

Chemicals safety

To make our chemicals-safety performance more transparent and demonstrate the low-hazard profile of our portfolio, we have reported on three chemicals-safety KPIs since 2020. Since none of Corbion’s products is included in the REACH Authorization List, the REACH Candidate List nor the Substitute It Now (SIN list), our 2025 target has been met, and we will no longer report this KPI going forward. Corbion remains committed to the 12 principles of Green Chemistry.

Preserving the planet

Biobased raw materials

Based on our double materiality assessment, the inflow of raw materials is not a material topic for Corbion. In 2024, as in previous years, 98% of our raw materials were biobased. Our 2025 target has therefore been met.

By-products and waste

The contribution of landfilled by-products and waste to Corbion’s environmental impact is <1% based on Life Cycle Assessment. For this reason, waste is no longer considered a material topic for Corbion. Compared to 2020, we reduced the landfill of by-products from 9.2 kT to 1.4 kT, and we were able to recycle 99%. Landfill of generic waste decreased by 2% compared to 2020. Corbion remains committed to responsible waste management, including by-products valorization, waste reduction, re-use, and recycling.

Measuring what matters

Life Cycle Assessment

Corbion uses Life Cycle Assessments as a tool to understand the “cradle-to-gate” environmental impact of our products, to help our customers improve their environmental footprint, and substantiate their sustainability claims. All Corbion LCAs are peer reviewed according to ISO 14040/44 and ISO 14067 standards. In 2023, we decided to focus our LCA efforts on fermentation-derived products manufactured at Corbion. In 2024, we updated LCAs for products produced at our site in Gorinchem (the Netherlands). With these additional studies, we completed the assessment of fermentation derived products manufactured at Corbion. Going forward, we will no longer report the % of our products covered by LCA. Corbion remains committed to using LCA as a tool to inform customers about the environmental impact of our products.

Social Value Assessment

In 2017, Corbion joined the Social Value Initiative (SVI), a cross-sector initiative formed to help companies measure the social impacts of products and services throughout their value . Together with other members, we developed a methodology for measuring social impacts which we have used over the past years to understand the social impact of our business activities on our stakeholders throughout our supply chain and own operations. Over the past years, we have assessed the impact of Corbion’s own operations and our supply chain on employees and local communities for our manufacturing sites in: Rayong (Thailand); Orindiúva, Araucária, and Campos (Brazil); Blair (USA); and Gorinchem (the Netherlands).

The Social Value Initiative has seen its relevance decline as more stringent policies and regulations now mandate corporate due diligence on social and environmental impacts, making voluntary frameworks less necessary. In 2024, we therefore decided together with the other members to discontinue the initiative. Going forward, we will focus on further improving our due diligence processes (see Human Rights in the supply chain (new window)).