Continuously reaching a higher level of sustainability with pet food ingredients

Transparency

Duynie Group has been active in the sustainable management of plant-based co-products for more than 50 years. It gives Duynie Ingredients, being part of the group, a unique position in the market. Knowing where the raw materials come from enables Duynie Ingredients to offer its customers – pet food producers all over the world – complete transparency. It also guarantees a constant, year-round supply of products with stable properties and of consistently high quality.

Striving for climate-neutral production

“Our raw materials are co-products of the food industry. Processing them into high-quality ingredients for the pet food industry is very sustainable because it ensures the optimal use of crops so that nothing is wasted,” explains CSR Manager Corine Kroft.

“We use sustainably generated heat for drying the wet incoming co-products,” continues Corine. “Residual heat, released at bio-fermentation plants.” Duynie Ingredients is building a new plant next to the green-energy power station in Cuijk, the Netherlands, where locally produced wood cutting chips are processed into green electricity. This high-end sustainable plant, which is set up to process all kinds of vegetable ingredients, will increase Duynie Ingredients’ production capacity to meet the growing demand for sustainable ingredients.

Tailormade vegetable blend

The addition of vegetables to its product range is the result of listening to customers and building partnerships. Vegetables are increasingly used in the production of food for dogs, cats and small animals because they are a good source of vitamins, minerals and fibre.

In response to the request by pet food manufacturers for a vegetable blend, Duynie Ingredients has created a blend with a unique combination of vegetables, suitable for use in different recipes. Customer benefits include saving on storage space, reduced handling of various products and the possibility for tailormade production.

Pet Sustainability Coalition

Customer partnerships and following the latest pet food trends are two very important aspects of staying ahead in a continuously changing market. Therefore, it was a logical step for Duynie Ingredients to join the Pet Sustainability Coalition (PSC) in 2018. “It is valuable to work together with PSC to improve our sustainability performance and to contribute towards a more sustainable pet industry,” states Corine.

The Quick Impact Assessment (QIA) forms part of the membership. “It was good to complete the QIA with the PSC team. Corporate social responsibility (CSR) is totally integrated in the mission of Duynie Ingredients and gives us a high ranking,” she adds enthusiastically.

“We have already made initial contact with other PSC members to exchange experiences. The next step is to define actions to make our business even more sustainable and to continuously reach a higher level.”