Information
Enza Zaden is fully aware of the fact that a company can be successful only if it operates in close harmony with society and the environment. Managing Director Jaap Mazereeuw: “Our company has an international CSR policy that rests on three pillars. Sustainable entrepreneurship, which includes developing resistant varieties, is part and parcel of our profession; it’s in our DNA.”
Our primary aim is to grant people anywhere in the world access to healthy, varied vegetables. How do we achieve that? By developing new, strong vegetable varieties with high productivity and resistance to pests and diseases. Varieties that need fewer crop protection products and less water and fertiliser during cultivation, and that moreover produce higher yields per hectare. Or varieties that grow well in regions where until now no, or only very few crops could be cultivated. Our international network then ensures that these varieties are actually available all over the world. We also offer local growers cultivation advice, to help them get the most out of our varieties.
We like to minimise our impact on the environment. We have developed a policy that aims to reduce waste, generate energy at our branches, and construct and purchase sustainably. Our building at Santsloot, where seed is treated and stored, has 2,000 solar panels on the roof. This huge array means we can generate a considerable part of our own energy requirement.
We work on improving the living standards of our fellow citizens - for example, farmers in developing nations. We implement our policy in this field as practically as possible, preferably in countries where are also active and can offer good support. By deploying our resources and expertise, we increase vegetable production and therefore the living standards. We support small-scale and medium-sized projects such as Fair Planet in Ethiopia, and the Yayasan Foundation in Indonesia.
Fair Planet helps small-scale farmers in Ethiopia gain access to high-quality vegetable seed. It also advises and trains so-called ‘trainer farmers’. We teach the farmers how to boost their yields by using better quality seeds. This group of trainer farmers then trains other farmers in turn by passing on the acquired knowledge within the cooperative they are members of.
The Yayasan Foundation in Indonesia helps local vegetable growers with vegetable production, especially in the remote lowland regions with difficult growing conditions. By sharing our expertise and technology we help improve the living standards of thousands of farming families.