GNT announces sustainability strides on Exberry colors

The company reportedly has achieved significant carbon cuts on the plant-based line.

Courtesy of GNT

According to GNT’s latest sustainability report, the company GNT has achieved a 22% reduction in carbon intensity at its Exberry factories since 2020

GNT (which creates Exberry colors from non-GMO fruit, vegetables, and plants) has set out 17 targets to optimize its environmental and social impacts over the course of the current decade. In 2023, GNT’s total carbon footprint at its production sites in the Netherlands, Germany, and the U.S. reportedly stood at nearly 13,000 metric tons of CO2-equivalent emissions. This means 22% less CO2 was emitted per ton of product sold compared to the base year of 2020, taking GNT almost halfway toward its ambition to achieve a 50% reduction by 2030.

The new sustainability report reveals there was progress in a number of other areas. GNT aims to enhance water efficiency at its factories by 20% and reportedly has already delivered a 13% improvement compared to 2020 levels. In addition, 74% of the farmers in the company’s supply chain achieved a minimum of Farm Sustainability Assessment (FSA) Silver standard. The compliance rate for GNT’s Policy on Sustainable Sourcing, meanwhile, increased from 70% to 90%.

GNT also secured an EcoVadis silver medal last year and remains the only food color supplier to have published a third-party Greenhouse Gas Verification Statement.

Rutger de Kort, sustainability manager at GNT, says, “We are fully committed to leading the food coloring industry on sustainability. Our new report highlights the wide-ranging work we are doing, including increasing energy efficiency at our factories, training our farmers in sustainable agriculture, and sowing new flower meadows. We are delighted with the progress we are making on many of our key targets and continue to innovate to build a more sustainable future.”

Read GNT’s 2023 sustainability report here.

Jenni Spinner is the chief editor of Snack Food and Wholesale with more than 25 years of experience in business-to-business communications. She has written extensively about food production, safety and packaging; pharmaceutical drug development; concrete and masonry construction; and more. She holds a Bachelor’s in Communications from the University of Illinois. Jenni can be reached at spinnerj@bnpmedia.com.

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