Under a co-construction approach lasting over three years and involving employees, representatives of upstream agriculture and the stakeholder committee, Avril has defined its purpose: "Serving the Earth". In line with the Group's history and mission since its creation in the early 1980s, this purpose has guided the strategic decisions presented in April and the Group's new ambition: because being the leader in plant-based solutions for the agricultural, food and environmental transitions means Serving the Earth.
Serving the Earth: from a purpose to a reason for acting
For Avril, "Serving the Earth" means helping to meet two major challenges: the climate emergency and population growth, which is putting more pressure than ever on our planet's resources. Taking on these challenges means we have to change our eating habits, our farming practices and our energy choices. Avril has chosen to commit to this movement and is extending its historic mission with a purpose that reaffirms its power to act. In fact, in its activities, the Group is a socially committed player, serving the agricultural, food and environmental transitions. This purpose expresses the way in which the Group intends to pursue growth in a sustainable manner, create value for the industry and strengthen its contribution to society.
"Serving the Earth": 6 ambitious commitments for concrete and transformative action
This purpose is embodied in six commitments, which are right now setting the Group on a course of profound transformation. This progress-focused approach, measured each year by an independent firm and included in the performance criteria, will both support future growth and progressively change the daily practices of the 7,600 employees who take action every day in the Group's 19 countries.
TAKING ACTION FOR AGRICULTURE THAT RESPECTS THE PLANET. Because we believe in a form of agriculture that feeds people while respecting the planet, we are committed to being the link with producers that allows for dialogue and builds solutions, for healthy food and fair pay for farmers' work.
TAKING ACTION TO PROTECT NATURAL RESOURCES AND BIODIVERSITY. Because we will continue to import agricultural raw materials that cannot be produced locally and come from countries at risk of deforestation or conversion of endangered ecosystems, we are committed to ensuring that 100% of our palm and soya supplies come from sustainable agriculture by 2030.
TAKING ACTION TO DEVELOP LOCAL SECTORS. Because we care about keeping our regions dynamic, we are committed to speeding up the development of the local supply chains in all our fields of activity, from 2025 for 100% of our edible oils when the raw materials exist locally.
TAKING ACTION FOR OUR INVESTMENTS' IMPACT. Because we want to have a positive impact on the regions and the environment, we are committed to ensuring that by 2030, 100% of our investments, whether industrial or financial, are based on economic, environmental and social criteria.
TAKING ACTION FOR THE CLIMATE. Because we support the United Nations' Goal of limiting global warming to 2°C, which is part of the Paris Agreements, we are committed to reducing all our direct and indirect greenhouse gas emissions by 30% by 2030
TAKING ACTION FOR A COLLECTIVE AND INCLUSIVE PROJECT. Because we believe in the strength of the collective, which is the origin of our model and our governance, we are committed to maintaining a constant and demanding dialogue with all our stakeholders.
Jean-Philippe Puig, Group CEO, declared: "I am proud of this purpose which expresses our collective intelligence and reaffirms the power to act inherent in our original mission. This is a new step in Avril's history. More than a purpose, "Serving the Earth" is a reason for acting for the people who have been making the Group what it is for nearly 40 years. Driven by this ambition, we are making a collective commitment to developing solutions that meet current challenges. It's our responsibility to make this contribution and to support this global transition movement in agriculture, food and environmental matters. "Serving the Earth" makes our action meaningful and guides our daily decisions for the Group's management and future growth. Because at Avril, we all have the power and the duty to Serve the Earth."
To take things further:
- Discover the text of our purpose, Serving the Earth: https://www.groupeavril.com/en/purpose
- Discover the "Serving the Earth" film made by employees: https://www.groupeavril.com/en/purpose
- Discover the details of Avril's commitments to Serving the Earth: https://www.groupeavril.com/en/purpose
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About the Avril group
Founded in 1983 as an initiative by the agricultural world to ensure sustainable end markets for French production, Avril is the industrial and financial actor in the vegetable oil and protein sectors.
It relies on two complementary businesses, which are the strength of its model. On one hand, it is an industrial business organized around plant processing, from seed to processed product. On the other hand, it is an investor, through its subsidiary Sofiprotéol, taking minority stakes in support of companies in the French agricultural and agri-food sectors.
Present in France and abroad, in sectors as diverse as food for human consumption, animal nutrition and expertise, renewable energies and green chemistry, Avril relies on a portfolio of market-leading recognised brands: Bunica (Romania), Lesieur, Matines, Oleo100, Puget, Sanders, Taous (Morocco)…
For nearly 40 years, the Group has remained faithful to its original mission: to feed people and animals and preserve the planet. Faced with the current challenges of the climate emergency and the demographic growth that is putting a strain on resources, Avril has chosen to reaffirm its power to act, through the expression of its purpose: Serving the Earth. A real reason to act on a daily basis for the men and women of Avril, Serving the Earth and the six commitments that support it carries the Group's new ambition to become the leader in plant processing solutions, serving the agricultural, nutritional and environmental transitions.
In 2020, the Avril group achieved a revenue of 5.8 billion euros. Present in 19 countries, it employs nearly 7,600 people at 82 industrial sites around the world.
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