Deoleo presents its first Integrated Sustainability Report to prove its commitment to the goals set in its 2030 strategy
The company reports on the achievements made in environmental, governance, and social impact matters during 2023, such as the 15.5% increase in mills certified under its Sustainability Protocol for the production of extra virgin olive oil (EVOO).
Since 2018, Deoleo’s Sustainability Protocol has supported over 52,000 farmers and 82 mills in six different countries, with a positive influence on 292,749 hectares of olive groves.
In the past year, Deoleo has closed the gender pay gap, provided 19,572 hours of training to its employees, and informed 67 million people about the uses and benefits of olive oil through its 27 brands.
Deoleo, the world’s number one olive oil company, has anticipated the entry into force of the sustainability report under European standards (CSRD) and has presented its first Integrated Sustainability Report, highlighting the different actions and milestones achieved in the last year in ESG matters under current Spanish regulations and GRI standards (defined by the Global Reporting Initiative), verified by an independent third party. With this new report, the company demonstrates its international best practices in environmental, social, and governance areas.
With a sustainability strategy marked by objectives and a defined action plan, Deoleo demonstrates its resilient and future-oriented approach based on its purpose ‘Caring for what cares for you.’ Through this approach, the company has announced that since 2018, a total of 82 mills have been certified under its Sustainability Protocol for the production of extra virgin olive oil (EVOO), representing a 15.5% increase compared to 2022. Thus, Deoleo has reached an influence area of 292,749 hectares of olive groves and has supported over 52,000 farmers from countries such as Spain, Italy, Portugal, Greece, and Argentina, with the latter two being certified in 2023.
In the last campaign, the volume of product received from these certified mills represents 27.7% of Deoleo’s total extra virgin olive oil, and the company has set the goal of reaching 70% by 2030. Additionally, the report shows how the Deoleo team has contributed to achieving these sustainability advances, being a fundamental part of its business objectives.
Ignacio Silva, President, and CEO of Deoleo, highlights: “Despite the complex context of the olive sector, at Deoleo we continue to bet on sustainability as a key pillar to face challenges. As sector leaders, we must set an example and promote sustainable practices with our suppliers and in our own factories, from the olive tree to the table.”
María Martha Luchetti, Executive Director of Marketing, Innovation, and Sustainability, on her part emphasizes: “Our new Integrated Report reflects the progress we are making in different areas, both with the mills at the origin and with our workers and clients. At Deoleo, we are increasingly convinced that the future will be sustainable, or it will not be.”
Through its axis, Growing Together, Deoleo bets on sector sustainability from the origin and continues to promote its relationship with farmers, ensuring that 100% of the mills adhering to its Sustainability Protocol have received training on good ESG practices during 2023. Thanks to Deoleo’s influence, 97% of them already record their water and energy consumption, 93% have defined their sustainability managers, and 88.9% have signed a gender equality agreement.
Additionally, through European projects like Soil O-Live, Deoleo instills techniques in its suppliers to improve water and soil care, through vegetative covers, to optimize crops and achieve greater independence in adverse weather conditions. Thanks to this awareness-raising work, 97.5% of these mills have already conducted some soil and foliar analysis in 2023.
In the axis of Blending with love, Deoleo continues to maintain its Zero Waste Certification in its factories in Spain and Italy, achieving a valorization of 93.7% of the waste generated during 2023 and reducing its total water consumption by 7.2%, a priority objective for the firm in this context of drought.
The company has also reduced PET usage in its bottles by 14.4% and has developed its Environmental Product Declaration (EPD), which seeks to raise awareness about the sustainable impact that the final consumer can achieve. In this line, the company ensures that every liter of Deoleo’s extra virgin olive oil offsets the emissions produced by the electricity consumption of a Spanish household for 10 days.
In the third axis, Caring for you, Deoleo has promoted various actions focused on its workers and clients. 38.5% of its workforce is comprised of women, achieving a non-existent gender pay gap, and 98% of its 625 professionals spread across 12 countries worldwide have permanent contracts.
In terms of social awareness, during 2023, Deoleo has informed over 67 million people worldwide about the nutritional value of olive oil and aims to reach 150 million by 2030 through its leading brands: Carbonell, Bertolli, and Carapelli. Additionally, to promote product transparency in 2023, four million Deoleo bottles have incorporated QR codes on their labels for objective quality measurement, and all its packaging provides traceability information about the harvest or origin of the olives.
Finally, regarding the cross-cutting axis of Responsible Business, the company continues to strive to set the highest standard in sustainability and governance in the sector, respecting human,and labor rights throughout its value chain. Examples of this are training on its Code of Ethics or cybersecurity for all its employees.
As a company committed to sustainability, transparency, and its relationship with the environment, Deoleo will continue to lead the way towards a more responsible future in the olive oil sector. With a past full of achievements and a promising future on the horizon, Deoleo continues its mission of caring for what cares for us all: our planet and our communities.