FrieslandCampina spurs green growth in dairy sector

FrieslandCampina has always stressed its commitment to sustainable investment worldwide. How does this principle apply to Vietnam?

FrieslandCampina is guided by a clear purpose: Nourishing by Nature. We are committed to providing a good living for our farmers and better nutrition worldwide, now and for generations to come.

In recent years, FrieslandCampina has been performing well in several attractive market positions. In order to remain successful, we must remain focused on sustainable growth and value creation. In 2015, FrieslandCampina’s route2020 strategy was updated, based on global developments, in dairy farming, and within FrieslandCampina itself.

The same motto has been deployed across all our operating countries, including Vietnam. “Nourishing by Nature” is at the heart of everything we do and is about creating shared value throughout our operations – as well as with our customers – to support our “social license to operate”.

We control the entire chain – from grass to glass – which means we can provide high quality, nutritious products to our customers in Vietnam. Measures are also in place to address environmental factors in the supply chain. Our aim is to reduce our environmental footprint by lowering our carbon dioxide emissions, water usage, and water wastage.

FrieslandCampina is helping Vietnam develop a sustainable dairy industry. What makes this programme unique and creative?

FrieslandCampina is contributing towards the development of local dairy farming in Indonesia, Vietnam, Thailand, Malaysia, and Nigeria through its Dairy Development Programme (DDP) – an exchange programme in which dairy farmers work with local operatives to improve the quality and volume of milk in these locations.

An important element of DDP is the Farmer2Farmer project. A group of 15 Dutch dairy farmers were selected to train and advise dairy farmers in Asia, including Vietnam, on all aspects of dairy farming such as feeding and watering, calf-rearing, milking hygiene, milking machine maintenance, hoof care, and housing and barn design. The main goal of the Farmer2Farmer programme is to improve milk quality and increase milk production on farms in Asian countries.

In Vietnam, the 3-Access method (Access to Knowledge, Access to Finance, Access to Market) provides smallholder dairy farmers with the support needed to run their businesses optimally and raise the quality and quantity of their production. The programme also aims to make dairy farming more attractive to the next generation of farmers, thereby making the sector more sustainable in Vietnam and providing nutritious food for the growing population.

How does FrieslandCampina maintain its corporate social responsibility (CSR) activities in Vietnam?

FrieslandCampina’s CSR policy focuses on three pillars. Firstly, we supply better nutrition to the Vietnamese people. FrieslandCampina is focused on tackling obesity by distributing information about healthy eating and better lifestyle habits, emphasising the importance of sport and exercise and with responsible marketing and clear food labelling.

Secondly, we provide a good living for our farmers. We ensure that we create value for our farmers by maximising the profitability of the products. We improve milk quality and quantity through skills and knowledge we share with smallholder farmers via DDP.

And thirdly, FrieslandCampina strives for climate-neutral growth and wants to contribute towards Vietnam’s reduction of CO2 emissions. We are joining hands with the government to reduce green house emissions by conducting sustainable dairy farming in collaboration with farmers, and by using state-of-the-art technology. FrieslandCampina is working on the innovation-driven creation of greater sustainability in both production chains and dairy farming.

How has environmental sustainability been promoted during FrieslandCampina’s development in Vietnam over the past 20 years?

FrieslandCampina wants to contribute towards feeding Vietnam’s growing population through the provision of safe and healthy food, by reducing its own environmental impact, and by investing in innovative and sustainable solutions.

We run our business in an environmentally sound manner and contribute to sustainable development for the benefits of present and future generations. This means we seek a balance between our need to perform as a business and our commitment to society and the environment.

FrieslandCampina Vietnam received the Vietnam Environmental Award for excellent achievements in environmental protection from 2011 to 2015. We have signed a collaborative agreement with the Vietnam Environment Administration to develop a three-year educational programme called the “Green Innovation Award”. This initiative is aimed at raising awareness for environmental protection in Vietnam through contests and extracurricular activities.