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Naturally Sustainable

Sustainability Report 2012

Sustainability Report - Suiker Unie - www.suikerunie.com Sustainability Report - Suiker Unie - www.suikerunie.com 32

The cooperative’s mission is to ensure the continuity of beet cultivation and beet processing in the Netherlands. The ambition is to extract the maximum value from the agricultural raw materials it processes. The raw materials are refined in stages into valuable components that are used in foodstuffs for people and animals, and in chemical and other non-food applications.

Both Royal Cosun and Suiker Unie invest a great deal in the sustainable processing of agricultural products. Suiker Unie has sugar factories in Dinteloord (North Brabant) and Vierverlaten (Groningen).

Sugar specialities are produced at factories in Puttershoek (sugar cubes, icing sugar, soft sugar) and Roosendaal (liquid specialities). The sugar specialities are sold to consumers through Dutch supermarkets and the foodservice channel under the Van Gilse brand name. Industrial products are sold throughout north-west Europe under the Suiker Unie name.

Suiker Unie also has a sugar factory in Anklam (Germany), Suiker Unie GmbH, that also produces bio-ethanol.

Organisatie / Kerngegevens

Netherlands Anklam

Financial

Turnover (€ 1,000,000) 819 132

Investments (€ 1,000,000) 64 18

Ecological

Sugar production (tonnes x 1,000) 970 97

Sugar carbon footprint (kg CO2 eq/tonne of sugar) 480 651

Energy (kWh/tonne of sugar) 895 917

Groundwater and tapwater (m3 x 1,000) 214 184

Social

Number of permanent employees 600 171

Number of lost-time accidents 11 3

Profile and key figures

Note: This Sustainability Report relates to the locations in the Netherlands. For the sake of completeness, figures on the sugar factory in Anklam are stated separately. For more information, see: www.suikerunie.com

Suiker Unie is a member of Royal Cosun, a cooperative of some 9,000 sugar beet

growers founded in the Netherlands more than 110 years ago. Other members of

Royal Cosun are Aviko, Sensus, SVZ and Duynie.

By improving beet cultivation, the cooperative promotes sustainable farming. It adds value to the earth. Sustainability is about strengthening the supply chain. The recent history of the sugar history shows that we produced a million tonnes of sugar 25 years ago. We needed 125,000 hectares to grow it and ten factories to process it. In 2012, the International Year of the Cooperative, we again produced a million tonnes of sugar but we needed only 73,000 hectares to grow it and two factories to process it.

This is the outcome of cooperation in the supply chain: cooperation with our beet growers, suppliers, logistics partners and customers. It is proof that cooperation is good for sustainability.

Many more opportunitiesOur operations are based on the production of six million tonnes of sugar beet every year.

The sugar beet, a fantastic raw material, contain sugar, molasses and pulp. And a lot more, such as proteins and fibres. We are studying how we can extract these components and use them in other products. We are already converting residual flows from the beet, for example, into green gas. Sugar beet has a great deal of potential in the biobased economy. We can make the most of the opportunities only if we continue to work with other parties. Suiker Unie therefore intends to remain a very sustainable business. Sustainability complements our operations, naturally – not in a strained or forced way. Regardless of all the advances in the bio-economy, we will still be making sugar in a hundred years’ time.

Inleiding Albert Markusse

Cooperation deeply rooted in Suiker UnieSustainability is deeply rooted in Suiker Unie. I often wonder why everyone takes it for

granted that sustainability should come so naturally to Suiker Unie. Is it to do with our

agricultural and cooperative roots? To our position as a source of cooperation?

Albert Markusse, Managing Director, Suiker Unie


Marktontwikkeling, beleid en doelstellingen

Market developments, policy and goalsIn the current European market regulation for sugar, Suiker Unie may not produce more

beet sugar for foodstuffs than it already does. One day, however, the current market

regulation will come to an end. The only question is when. This will create new opportunities,

which we are already anticipating in full.

All these developments and the expansion of production capacity are helping Suiker Unie achieve its mission:

Suiker Unie wants to be the best at maximising the value and sustainability of all components of the sugar beet for its customers,

growers and staff.

Thick juice tank Dinteloord

To produce more than 20 million m3 of green gas in the Netherlands in 2014 The biomass digester in Vierverlaten was opened in November 2012. It worked at full capacity producing green gas throughout the campaign. Every year, it will convert 100,000 tonnes of vegetable residuals into 10 million m3 of green gas. Together with the biomass digester in Dinteloord, Suiker Unie produced more than 8 million m3 of green gas in 2012. Our target is to exceed 20 million m3 in 2014. This is equal to the annual consumption of 15,000 households.

To reduce energy consumption and related emissions from the sugar production process by 50% during the term of the European goals (1990–2020), based on the Kyoto Protocol Many projects have been launched to save energy in the sugar factories. Energy consumption in 2012 was more than 40% lower than that in 1990.

To reduce CO2 emissions from sugar transport by more than 30% by 2014 relative to the Lean & Green reference year of 2009The partial replacement of diesel trucks with natural gas trucks for bulk transport to our customers will be an important factor in this reduction. There are two options: CNG or LNG (compressed of liquefied natural gas). An academic study could not determine which was better. It was therefore decided to test both systems, with two trucks driving on each fuel. A decision will be taken on the preferred system when the tests end in 2013 and Suiker Unie will invest in several trucks. CO2 emissions are then expected to decline rapidly.

Our three goals for the years ahead are:

1

2

3

We harvest the sugar beet and process them in the factories between September and mid-January. After that, the sugar content of the beet deteriorates and sugar production is no longer cost effective. If Suiker Unie is to process more beet, it must increase the capacity of its factory. We can do this by storing thick juice, a liquor produced during the sugar production

process, in large tanks. Suiker Unie stored thick juice for the first time during the 2011/2012 campaign. The factory in Dinteloord held its first campaign to convert the thick juice into granulated sugar in 2012. Some of the thick juice is sold to the fermentation industry to produce yeast. Thick juice tanks are a cost efficient means to store sugar.

The factory at Vierverlaten also took a thick juice tank into operation during the 2012 campaign. A second tank is currently being built at both factories. Thick juice is not only an important factor in the production of sugar; in the future, it will also be a key ingredient for the introduction of biobased products. Its potential applications include bioplastics to replace petroleum products, such as synthetic rubber and textiles. During the thick juice campaign, Suiker Unie can produce about 2,500 tonnes of sugar per day. Water management is very important in this process because it is scarce. In contrast to the beet campaign, no water can be extracted from the raw material. We therefore have to be very economical with water.


ISO 26000 In November 2012 Suiker Unie signed the ISO 26000 Self-declaration. ISO 26000 is the global standard for businesses to implement corporate social responsibility (CSR) and incorporate it into their operations. The businesses have to satisfy seven principles: “We have distilled priorities from these principles, such as energy savings in the supply chain and cooperation with growers and customers. We’re going to work on them in the years ahead,” says Bertram de Crom, who was involved in the Self-declaration. “It’s a learning process, covering every aspect of the business. You get to learn how sustainable we already are and where we can make improvements.” Frank van Noord, R&D Director, says, “We’ve now a clear set of guidelines to work out the CSR policy. We have to draw in all members of the staff. We’ll be paying special attention to this in 2013.”

TPMThe Total Productive Maintenance (TPM) improvement programme has been rolled out at all Suiker Unie’s sugar and specialities factories. TPM is a way of working that identifies and minimises losses and makes working practices more efficient. “It is a cultural change for the people in the factories,” explain Peter Wijnbeek (production manager at the Puttershoek specialities factory) and Bram Fetter (plant manager at the Vierverlaten sugar factory). Their factories successfully won the TPM Excellence Award Category A in November 2012. The two managers are proud of the commitment generated by TPM. “TPM binds a team together. Solutions are no longer handed down from above. The input has to come from the bottom up. That’s not possible without cooperation. TPM also encourages us to present ideas for improvement. The people on the work floor become the owners of their machines and production lines. That makes the work more enjoyable.”

TPM seminar for customersWhat can TPM do for a business? This was the key question during the annual seminar that Suiker Unie held for her customers in 2012. Presentations on the work floor highlighted the impressive benefits of the method and illustrated how the theory worked in practice. We welcomed more than 150 customers to the seminar.

“ … important to involve all the people”

Plant & Planet - 4 PIJLERS

Plant & PlanetSuiker Unie’s Plant & Planet sustainability programme rests on

four pillars: chain responsibility, climate & energy, natural and

social engagement.

Chain responsibilitySuiker Unie is an advocate of quality and sustainability throughout the value

chain: from growing the sugar beet by our farmers to delivering the sugar and other products to our customers. We work with our partners in the chain and respect the interests of other stakeholders. We give high priority to customer service, the continuity of beet growing and the sustainability of our production

and logistics processes.

Climate & Energy Suiker Unie seeks the right balance between sustainability and profitability in

all aspects of its operations. We treat our natural raw materials with the greatest of care and constantly and successfully take measures to reduce our energy consumption, work more efficiently and reduce our emissions.

We are helping to make a better environment by increasing the availability of renewable fuels in the form of green gas and green electricity generated

from the vegetable residual flows from our sugar production.

NaturalSugar, a natural product made from sugar beet and sugar cane, is an excellent

source of energy. It is an important part of a healthy and varied diet and an active lifestyle. We inform consumers about the properties of sugar through

the Van Gilse brand. Suiker Unie also works to guarantee the future of sugar beet growing in the Netherlands. Sugar beet are important for

biodiversity in the farming industry. Sugar and sugar beet are also key raw materials for the production of biobased products and the development of the

biobased economy.

Social engagementOur social engagement is closely related to the cooperative structure of our business. Suiker Unie is known as a good employer that recognises

the importance of the personal development and health and safety of its employees. We also carry out national and international social

projects on themes that draw on our professional competences.

98

Ketenverantwoordelijkheid

The sugar yield in the last campaign

was 13.5 tonnes per hectare.

The yield has increased significantly

in recent years. In 2000 it had been

just 10 tonnes per hectare.

More productive varieties and more

efficient farming techniques have

not only increased the yield per

hectare but also reduced the need

for pesticides and herbicides.

The higher the sugar yield per

hectare, the lower the environmental

impact. Less fertiliser, less transport

and less energy are needed to

produce the same amount of sugar

from the beet. That has benefits for

the entire value chain.

Chain responsibility

13,522 kgsugar yield per hectare in 2012

17.1%sugar content in the

sugar beet in 2012

Harry Boone, Operator Sugar Beet Harvester

“The quality of the sugar beet harvest depends on how well the crop has been sown and how well the land has been tended.”


Unitip / veld

Chain responsibility to grow sugar beetOne of the priorities in the 2012/2013 campaign was to prevent the loss of beet during

harvesting. There are large differences in practice. Measurements show that beet losses

can be as high as 8 or 9 tonnes per hectare. To minimise beet losses, the beet harvesting

machines must be carefully adjusted. Under the slogan “All the beet, none of the foliage” the

Suiker Unie’s Agricultural Service made sure the machinery was set correctly to minimise

beet losses during harvesting.

Unitip A large number of our growers have joined Unitip, the registration and advisory programme set up for sugar beet growers. Unitip’s sustainability report was redesigned in 2012. Growers can now see at a glance how they are performing and why, and compare their results with those of other growers in the region. They can receive tips to improve their performance, including links to informative websites. They can also see at a glance what benefits the tips would have. This module will be expanded in 2013. In 2012, 18% of the growers took part in Unitip (www.unitip.nl). Their number has risen by 3% in the past two years; our aim is to increase membership further.

Skylark FoundationSkylark Foundation Netherlands (Stichting Veldleeuwerik, www.veldleeuwerik.nl) is an alliance of growers and customers. Her aim is to make arable farming more sustainable. The farmers will use the Unitip system to analyse their cereal, onion, potato and sugar beet crops in 2013 and draw up crop plans to make their farms even more sustainable.

Sustainable beet cultivation and beet processing chain (KBB) As a member of the national Sustainable Food Platform, Suiker Unie has launched the Sustainable beet cultivation and beet processing chain project (KBB). It has set itself the goal of improving the quality of the raw material so that it is easier to process. The benefits will include reductions in energy consumption and carbon emissions. KBB is part of the Precision Agriculture Programme of the Dutch Ministry of Economic Affairs. It has taken a close look at the Unitip registration system and in collaboration with the Centre for Agriculture and the Environment (CLM) and the Institute for Rational Sugar Production (IRS), Unitip will be presented to a group of stakeholders and experts.

Interview Jan Willem van Roessel.

Jan Willem van Roessel is a passionate advocate of cooperatives. It was not without reason that the United Nations declared 2012 the International Year of the Cooperative. “This way of working is improving the standard of living of farmers in developing countries. Farmers in the Netherlands gained the same benefits more than a hundred years ago. The members are at the heart of our business. The concept works. Our growers earn the best prices in Europe.”“It’s not about short-term profits. It’s in the farmers’ interests to invest some of their earnings in the cooperative, for example in the sugar factories. Without these investments, the farmers will not be able to deliver their beet to the factories in the years ahead. We don’t have nervous shareholders, but members and suppliers who enjoy a long-term relationship with us. They are an excellent match for our sustainability philosophy. Take our investments in the environment. They can have a negative impact on today’s profits but we will keep on making them with a view to the long term.”

Cooperation

Cosun adopted the revised code of the National Cooperative Council (NCR) in 2012. Sustainability is one of the key planks in the new code. “Cooperation in the supply chain is important. To give one example, we can help the growers increase their beet yields per hectare. It’s good for their wallets and for the environment because fewer pesticides and less transport are needed.”“We are also trying to close mineral and water cycles but are being frustrated by red tape. We cannot unlimited return the lime fertiliser Betacal to the fields, for example, because it contains phosphate. But that phosphate originally came from the fields themselves. Our sustainability goals are being prevented by the government. We hope the rules will be changed in the new fertiliser laws in 2014.”

Sustainability suits the cooperative

Jan Willem van Roessel, Secretary of Cosun’s Board

1312

Klimaat & energie

Climate & EnergyThe sugar factories process enormous

volumes of sugar beet during the

campaign. The entire process

demands a great deal of energy:

from transporting the crop from the

fields to the factories, to evaporating

off most of the water in the beet

juice. Energy savings are therefore

a prominent feature in Suiker Unie’s

sustainability policy.

We are constantly looking for ways

to improve our processes and save

energy in order to minimise the

environmental impact. We also take

care of the soil by optimising the

need for fertilisers and making

balanced use of crop protection

agents. A healthy soil is essential

for the sustainable cultivation of

sugar beet and other crops.

214,000 m3

water consumption

in 2012

895 kWhenergy

per tonne of sugar in 2012

Peter Boersma, Section B Operator, Dinteloord sugar factory

“Process changes can bring about enormous energy savings.”


“ … you have to make the investment first”

Energiebesparing

The specialities factory in Puttershoek invested in central heating boilers. The boiler used to heat the offices and factory and to clean the production lines at 80ºC was replaced with a new, more economical high efficiency boiler and an extra boiler that can be heated on demand to clean the production lines. Total gas consumption has been cut by 40%. “Simple!” exclaims Peter Wijnbeek, production manager. “But you have to make the investment first.”

The specialities factory in Roosendaal has modified its liquid sugar production process so that less water is needed to dissolve the sugar. Less water has to be evaporated. Gas consumption decreases 23% a year. The factory has also made considerable savings on water and energy by investing in a buffer tank. Water is now first used to cool products. The heat that is recovered is used to dissolve sugar or for cleaning.

Green GasSuiker Unie officially took the biomass digester at the Westpoort Biobased Park in Vierverlaten into operation on 21 November 2012.

The biomass digester is certified to NTA 8080 standard to provide assurances that the green gas is produced sustainably. Suiker Unie’s two biomass digesters are fed with agricultural raw materials only. The biogas they produce is upgraded to green gas and supplied to the national transmission network. The digestate that remains contains many nutrients, trace elements and organic matter such as fibres, making it very suitable as an organic soil improver and fertiliser. This is one of the ways we are closing the mineral cycle.

Energy saving

The Dinteloord location invested in a new sugar dissolving plant in 2012 so that the

factory has to evaporate less water. The investment cut energy consumption by 10%.

Biomass digester

As a member of the Groningen provincial council, Wilma Mansveld drove the first pile home for the new biomass digester in Vierverlaten in early November 2011. “We’re looking at lots of ways to create new energy. Bio-digesting is one of them,” said the state secretary for infrastructure and the environment. “Internationally, we want our energy supply to be 100% sustainable by 2050. To achieve this, we have to keep our options open. Cars, for example, could be run on green gas or hydrogen or electricity. I wonder what direction will produce the most innovation.”“Governments must encourage everyone, including you and me, to take part in waste separation, solar panels, etc. If they are given the freedom to experiment, businesses will rise to the challenge of innovation. This is shown by the biomass digester. The government also wants to remove red tape in order to see what use can be made of the innovations. Laws across Europe are being harmonised. This is important because many companies are active internationally and need to work to the same rules.”“Companies have to know what they can rely on, so government policy has to be consistent. The current government is working with the Social and Economic Council of the Netherlands on an energy agreement for sustainable growth. It will cover issues such as the ETS emission trading system and domestic energy savings. Such a long-term agreement will provide assurances to the business community. The government then needs to stick to the course it has set.”

Step furtherThe government is concluding Greed Deals with businesses to promote sustainable initiatives. Mansveld: “How can we move forward together? The steps don’t have to be large ones. Dutch Rail, for example, is studying how it can use the energy released when trains brake. It is adding to its knowledge and encouraging people on the railways… You achieve more by working together. You go faster by yourself, but you go further with others.”

Wilma Mansveld, State Secretary for Infrastructure and the Environment

Interview Wilma mansveld

You go faster by yourself, but you go further with others

1716

Natural

Mirjam Huysmans, Account Manager at Suiker Unie

“Sugar beet are a source of energy, literally and figuratively.”

Sugar is a natural product. The basis

for granulated sugar and all sugar

products is grown in the sugar beet.

In effect, the factories that process

the beet only remove the sugar from

them. Sugar is an extremely good

ingredient for all kinds of products.

It is an important part of a varied diet.

Sugar and the sugar beet also have

many other potential applications.

Residual flows, for example, are

used to make biomass and in the

biobased economy.

73,123 haof sugar beet in the Netherlands

5.46 mln. tonnes

of sugar beet in the Netherlands


Van Gilse Stevia kenniscentrum

Van Gilse Soft sugar to bake an apple pie, syrup to pour on pancakes and icing sugar to sprinkle on doughnuts. The consumer products sold under our Van Gilse brand can be used in many ways. We inform consumers of the sugar’s natural qualities and think it is important that consumers know where their sugar comes from: from the sugar beet that grow in the fields. That’s why we provide information on the Van Gilse label about the natural source of sugar. The Van Gilse signs in the beet fields throughout the country serve the same purpose. Van Gilse makes food tasty and enjoyable. Consumers enjoy cooking, baking and having fun together. Van Gilse has introduced new products for them, such as the convenient Tover ice-cream line.

Stevia Stevia is a sweetener that was approved for use in the EU at the end of 2011. It is a natural plant extract that contains no calories. The product, however, has a bitter, aniseed-like aftertaste that is difficult to remove or mask. Quality in the supply chain is also inconsistent (from one supplier to another and from one batch to another from the same supplier). The quality is determined by the proportion of the various stevia components in the plant and by the methods used to extract them. Stevia can therefore have a range of tastes and react

differently in the customers’ production processes. Together with Cosun Food Technology Centre, Suiker Unie has accumulated a wealth of know-how and experience to tackle these problems and help its customers develop the stevia extract into products.

Biobased EconomyThe biobased economy is providing more and more opportunities to penetrate new markets. Sugar can be used as a renewable raw material in fuels, chemicals and medicines. Thick juice, an intermediate product, is growing in importance as a raw material to produce bioplastics and other products. Green gas is already being made from beet tails. In the new biobased economy, cooperation with other industries will be essential. Suiker Unie and two other businesses, for example, have set up the Green Deal for Dutch Grown Polymers. This consortium carries out feasibility studies on the production of bioplastics (polyactides). Instead of making plastic from fossil fuels, we want to make them from lactic acids, using sugar from sustainably grown sugar beet as the raw material.

“ Cooperation with other industries is essential.”

Interview biobased

Ton Runneboom, Chairman of Biorenewables Business Platform

Suiker Unie to play a key role

“Suiker Unie is going to play a key role in the biobased economy”, claims Ton Runneboom. He is chairman of the Biorenewables Business Platform (BBP). This advisory body of the Ministry of Economic Affairs is using its knowledge and extensive network to put businesses in touch with each other to exploit opportunities in the biobased economy. “The BBP provides a window to the outside world. Every business is stuck to one degree or another in its own industry. We link up business in different industries and we also link them up to knowledge institutions and public authorities.” “We know, for example, that you can grow as many sugar beet in excess of the quota as you wish, provided you do not turn them into food. But who can process the products from the beet? The chemical industry. With a number of business we have set up a group to study whether bioplastics can be made somewhere in the chain from farmer to cola bottle. We found that you can upgrade sugar beet into chemical products very efficiently. The BBP is sharing this information in order to attract more

businesses.” The BBP pays for the study groups because of their great economic potential but other parties also share in the funding. Runneboom gives an example, “We studied the feasibility of growing and harvesting sugar beet all year round in greenhouses. Rabobank was one of the project’s financial backers.”

What role do you think Suiker Unie will play?“Cosun’s members could maybe grow up to three million tonnes of sugar in beet equivalents. Suiker Unie would have to approach more companies to process it. There is a vital, sustainable role here for Suiker Unie in the Dutch biobased economy.” “The United Nations has defined sustainability as using what you need without restricting the choices of future generations. But we can increase their choices if we develop appropriate technology. Suiker Unie is already working on this. It is time to take an optimistic look at the future.”

2120

Social engagement As a manufacturer and supplier,

Suiker Unie is at the heart of

society. With our factories spread

across the Netherlands, we offer

work to many people. Suiker Unie

creates a setting for well trained

and highly motivated employees.

We want our people to be proud

of their employer and their work.

But our role extends further than

the factories. We want to enjoy a

good relationship with local

residents and play a leading role

as a sponsor of local activities and

clubs. We enjoy helping society

wherever possible, for example by

preserving the industrial heritage.

5.7 average number of

training days per annum per employee

3.8% the rate of

sick leave among Suiker Unie’s

employees

Piet Zagers, Chairman of the Suiker Unie Steam Club

“We recently restored the equipment for the Fire Engine Museum.”

Sustainability Report - Suiker Unie - www.suikerunie.com22

Stoomclub - Arbo

Suiker Unie Steam Club Steam engines have played a decisive role in the sugar industry. Volunteers from the Suiker Unie Steam Club have taken several old machines apart, put them back together again and given them a new lease of life in the old engine room in Dinteloord.

RecruitmentSuiker Unie will have to deal with a significant outflow of personnel as they reach retirement age in the years ahead. To achieve the growth it desires, Suiker Unie needs to take on more people. Wijnand Pirée, deputy P&O director, is therefore in frequent contact with schools and colleges. “Students at the West Brabant regional training centre, for example, practice job interviews and we have a direct line to young graduates.”

Health and safety To prevent sickness and absenteeism, Suiker Unie is exploring ways to reduce the physical demands made on its employees. It has invested in automation to make it easier to add ingredients to the production process and to fill big bags. In consultation with an ergonomist, it has also analysed and improved the working conditions and actions of the employees.

Everyone who works in and at the factories, both employees and third parties, must have a VCA safety certificate. Staff are encouraged to report near-accidents. Such reports lead to improvements, a safer work place and better working practices. Fortunately there are few accidents but this is no reason to rest on our laurels. Safety demands our continuous attention.

Local residentsEven though our production facilities are located on zoned industrial estates, we have to respect local residents. We often meet each other to discuss problems in a ‘neighbourhood council’. Many measures to reduce noise levels have emerged from these talks over the years. We also look for improvements at customers. We encourage the use of electric compressors, for example, to unload bulk sugar from the trucks. An electric compressor is much quieter than a truck compressor and CO2 emissions are lower because the diesel engine does not have to be running during unloading.

In Vierverlaten we have joined forces with third parties to improve road safety around the factory. Despite all the attention we pay to minimising nuisance, we still receive complaints now and then. Every complaint is one too many and we take them all very seriously. We often discuss the complaint with the person who made it and take measures where appropriate. .

Sugar and Nutrition Knowledge Centre The Dutch Sugar Bureau has changed its name to the Sugar and Nutrition Knowledge Centre. The change of name clarifies what its core activities are. The Knowledge Centre’s mission is to improve the scientific information available on sugar and healthy lifestyles.

Indicator Description Comments Reference

Strategy and analysis

1.1 Statement by the CEO Foreword

Profile

2.1 Name of the organisation Suiker Unie

2.2 Products and services Profile and key figures

2.4 Location of headquarters Profile and key figures

2.5 Countries with major operations Profile and key figures

2.6 Legal form Profile and key figures

2.7 Markets served Profile and key figures

2.8 Scale of the reporting organisation Profile and key figures

2.9 Significant changes There were no significant changes in 2012

Reporting parameters

3.1 Reporting period 1 January 2012 – 31 December 2012

3.2 Previous report Calendar year 2011

3.3 Reporting cycle Calendar year

3.4 Contact point Credits

3.5 Report content process GRI Statement

3.6 Boundary of the report ISO 26000 and GRI Statement

3.7 Limitations on boundary of the report ISO 26000 and GRI Statement

3.8 Basis for reporting on joint ventures No change from 2011

3.10 Restatements No restatements

3.11 Changes in the report This Sustainability Report has been prepared in accordance with GRI level C

3.12 Standard disclosures GRI index is included in accordance with GRI level C

Governance, commitments and engagement

4.1 Governance structure Key figures

4.2 Chair of the highest governance body Foreword

4.3 Independence Not applicable to Suiker Unie

4.4 Mechanisms for shareholders and employees

www.suikerunie.com

4.14 List of stakeholder groups www.suikerunie.com

4.15 Identification and selection of stakeholders

www.suikerunie.com

Economic indicators

EC1 Direct economic value Key figures

GRI Table

Suiker Unie presents the information in this report in accordance with the GRI system.

Suiker Unie’s Sustainability Report for 2012 has been prepared to GRI level C for ten indicators.

GRI Statement: This report has been prepared in accordance with the guidelines of the Global Reporting

Initiative (GRI), the internationally accepted standard for sustainability reporting. Suiker Unie has opted to report

on and make its CSR ambitions and performance transparent in accordance with GRI level C (self declared).

Background information is available at www.suikerunie.com/sustainability.aspx, as are more in-depth interviews

in which stakeholders share their vision of what else Suiker Unie can do to become even more sustainable.

Colofon:

Concept, design and production: Living the brand

Text: Jurriëns PR, inTACT

Editing: Bertram de Crom,

Richelle van Helten - Suiker Unie

Photography: Robert Vendrig

3D-design: Rolf van Slooten

Printing: Van As

Publication date: April 2013

Environmental indicators

EN5 Energy savings and efficiency gains Energy savings in the sugar factories Climate & Energy, p. 14

EN7 Reducing indirect energy consumption Optimising beet growing Goals, p. 5

EN8 Total water extraction by source Water consumption Climate & Energy, p. 12

EN18 Greenhouse gas emissions Measures to reduce CO2 emissions Climate & Energy, p. 14Goals, p. 5

EN29 Significant environmental consequences of transport

Transport Goals, p. 5

Social indicators employees

LA2 Net employment Number of employees Key figures

LA7 Injury, occupational diseases, lost days, absenteeism

Sick leave and safety performance Social engagement, p. 20

LA10 Average number of training days per employee per annum

Training courses are provided externally

Social engagement, p. 20

Product performance responsibility

PR5 Customer satisfaction survey www.suikerunie.com

Indicator Omschrijving Toelichting Verwijzing

This Sustainability Report, Naturally Sustainable, is published in Dutch and English in printed form.

A PDF version of this report and more results and achievements of our sustainability policy can be found on

Suiker Unie’s internet site: www.suikerunie.com/sustainability.aspx

We would appreciate your response to this Sustainability Report. If you would like to comment or have any questions,

please contact Bertram de Crom at [email protected]

Special thanks to:

Harry Boone: Sugar Beet Harvester, Loonbedrijf vd Maas, Oosterland

Peter Boersma: Section B Operator, Dinteloord sugar factory

Mirjam Huysmans: Accountmanager Suiker Unie

Piet Zagers: Chairman, Suiker Unie Steam Club

Jan Willem van Roessel: Secretary of the Board of Cosun

Ton Runneboom: Chairman of the Biorenewables Business Platform

Wilma Mansveld: State Secretary for Infrastructure and the Environment

Jan van Twist: Operator at Suiker Unie Specialities, Puttershoek

“ ... direct line to young graduates”

Sustainability Report - Suiker Unie - www.suikerunie.com 23

InterviewJan twist

The day before it was introduced, Jan van Twist had never heard of TPM. At the specialities factory in Puttershoek, he is responsible for the machines that pack 750 and 1,000 gram bags of granulated sugar and biosugar. “I had absolutely no idea that TPM would have such a fundamental impact. It is a totally different way of working from what we were used to. Making time by standing still was unheard of. We had always been used to keeping up production no matter what. That came first. But by stopping the machines at set times, you can make them run better.”“I can remember the very first project very clearly. We had to sweep up and weigh the waste sugar at a number of places in the factory. I’m sorry to say it but I thought it was ridiculous. I had no idea what the point was. That only came later. Bit by bit we began to take the production process to pieces to learn how it all fitted together and where the biggest losses occurred.”“That’s how we got to know TPM and gained an insight into how the machines actually worked. It’s a strange thing to say if you’ve already been working here for thirty years. But in the past, we didn’t have time for anything like that.”“The more you understand the line, the more you enjoy the work. You feel more involved. In the past we used to call for a mechanic if the line broke down and we couldn’t fix it ourselves. That was frustrating. Nowadays we know what we are doing and tackle more things ourselves.”“A disadvantage is that we sometimes have to stay longer. We have Kaizen training on Friday afternoon after work. But after getting up at quarter to five for the last five days’ early shift, I can say without fear that the tank is empty on Friday afternoon.”

More insight into the many benefits of TPM

Jan van Twist, Operator at Suiker Unie

Specialities, Puttershoek

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