The transformation is underway!
At Délifrance, we firmly believe that we have a role to play in addressing the major challenges facing the world today.
In 2022, we therefore defined our CSR strategy, Baking Good BETTER, tailored to our activities and faithful to our values and ambition.
The name Baking Good BETTER showcases our desire to take action now, all together and ensure sustainability is at the heart of everything that we do to protect what is most precious: our planet and our people.
Shared with all our stakeholders, it is now part of our corporate culture and commits us to working together to shape a more sustainable food system.
“CSR is no longer a separate issue: it is an integral part of our identity. It is an essential component of our corporate strategy and a way to stand out from the competition. It strengthens the relationship of trust we have with our customers and enables us to help them achieve their own objectives.” - Robert O’Boyle, Délifrance CEO
Structured around three pillars – Planet, People, Product & Know-how – Baking Good BETTER extends across our entire value chain and beyond:
CSR REPORT 2024-2025
Since the launch of Baking Good BETTER in 2022, we have made significant progress and achieved several key objectives. This collective success is a testament to the exemplary commitment of our teams and stakeholders, and demonstrates that together we can shape a sustainable future!
We are glad to share with you our CSR report, for the year 2024-2025! This report reviews the projects implemented this year, the action plans deployed and the results achieved.
Double Interview with Robert O'Boyle, CEO of Délifrance and Nathalie Genebes, CSR Director
What are the main areas of progress made by Baking Good BETTER this year?
Robert O'Boyle: Reducing our greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions remains a key priority, and much progress has been made. Our sites’ environmental performance is improving, particularly in the United Kingdom, thanks to the purchase of renewable electricity.
We have refined our action plans to decarbonise our raw materials. For example, we have sourced 13,000 tonnes of wheat flour from regenerative agriculture for use in our products, and we have joined the Sustainable Wheat Initiative Europe, alongside other players in the bakery sector. Our shared goal is a 30% reduction in emissions from wheat farming and flour production by 2030.
Nathalie Genebes: We have also hit two major milestones: all our sites in Europe and UK use Rainforest Alliance certified cocoa and RSPO Segregated certified Palm oil. To go further and share our CSR commitments with our suppliers, we have adopted a Sustainable Purchasing Charter. It has been very well received and has already been signed by 43% of our strategic partners.
On the People pillar, we have launched an ambitious action plan for the inclusion of LGBTQIA+ people and trained our first ambassadors. We continue to make progress on safety, training, gender equality, and disability, to provide our teams with a fulfilling work environment.
What are your priorities for the coming year?
Robert O'Boyle: We are accelerating the decarbonisation of our value chain to meet our customers’ expectations and strengthen our role as a strategic partner. We want to be able to provide them with reliable and transparent data on the impact of our products so that we can work with them to develop solutions: adapting recipes, using more sustainable raw materials, more eco-friendly packaging, etc. This involves closer collaboration with our suppliers, optimising our industrial processes, and innovating in the formulation of our products.
At the same time, we are preparing ISO 50001 certification1 for our French sites with a target date of 2027, and we are continuing to work with our freight providers to transition the fleet that transports our finished products to alternative fuels.
Nathalie Genebes: We are continuing to transition towards more sustainable ingredients by sourcing more flour from regenerative agriculture beyond France and strengthening the traceability of high risk raw materials, in particular to guarantee zero deforestation in our value chain.
Because the availability and quality of our raw materials depend directly on the health of ecosystems, biodiversity is one of our priorities for 2026. It is a very concrete issue that affects the sustainability of our supply chains. Our customers, just like end consumers, expect us to take action to preserve natural resources and agricultural landscapes. It is a complex but essential task! It is also a way of ensuring the long-term resilience of our business.
We are strengthening our commitments on the social and societal fronts with an action plan for the inclusion of LGBTQIA+ people, new initiatives on gender equality and the fight against violence against women, and the roll-out of Volunteer Days at all our sites – civic action events in partnership with local associations that share our values (preservation of the environment, combating food insecurity, etc.).
Baking Good BETTER is celebrating its third anniversary. What is its current place in Délifrance's corporate strategy?
Robert O'Boyle: CSR is no longer a separate issue: it is an integral part of our identity. It is an essential component of our corporate strategy and a way to stand out from the competition. It strengthens the relationship of trust we have with our customers and enables us to help them achieve their own objectives. More than just a supplier, Délifrance positions itself as a truly committed partner.
Nathalie Genebes: Our CSR roadmap drives change that permeates all departments, from product innovation to purchasing and production sites. We work with our teams to develop concrete action plans, with indicators that enable us to monitor and measure the progress we have made. It is a demanding, collaborative, and highly stimulating process. Baking Good BETTER has become the cornerstone of our corporate culture.
To conclude, what word sums up your vision of CSR at Délifrance?
Robert O'Boyle and Nathalie Genebes: Transformation ! More than just a spirit of responsibility, Baking Good BETTER embodies a genuine desire to change practices and build an exemplary agri-food industry. At Délifrance, we are committed to delivering food that is more sustainable but still just as delicious, every single day!