Dutch Logistics Award 2024 goes to Nestlé and Vreugdenhil

Nestlé and Vreugdenhil Dairy Foods have jointly won the Dutch Logistics Award 2024. The Vereniging Logistiek Management (VLM) jury awarded the prize for the way both companies have succeeded in shaping the low-carbon farming programme.

Sustainable dairy farming requires a collective chainwide approach, Nestlé and Vreugdenhil believe. They therefore joined forces in 2022 for the low-carbon farming programme. The aim is to work with dairy farmers to reduce the carbon footprint of milk by 50% by 2030, compared to 2018.

Chainwide cooperation

The VLM jury particularly liked the fact that the value chain is central to the programme. There is also a strong focus on the farm. That’s where the biggest reduction can be achieved, but also where the most investments are needed and where the risks are taken.

‘A complementary partnership focused on chainwide cooperation that is guided by the sustainability gains that can be achieved, especially at the farm,’ the jury report said. The prize was awarded in recognition of the cooperation between dairy farmers, Nestlé, Vreugdenhil, PPP-Agro Advies, WUR and other stakeholders.

15% carbon reduction

80 dairy farmers are currently participating in the programme and a 15% reduction in CO2 has been achieved. ‘At Vreugdenhil, we put the dairy farmer at the centre of everything we do. The success of this programme is a direct result of the strong collaboration between our dairy farmers, Nestlé and our team,’ says CEO Albert de Groot.

On the company’s website, he calls winning the Dutch Logistics Award 2024 ‘an important milestone, but only the beginning of what we can achieve together. This award is a great recognition of what is possible if we work together as a chain towards a future vision.’