Team Up for Sustaining Tomorrow – Another Round of Südzucker’s Sustainable Farming Days Successfully Wrapped
From farm to fork, we aim to help customers achieve their sustainability goals while strengthening consumer trust and loyalty to their brand. Our approach integrates sustainable farming with a focus on regenerative agriculture, CO₂ reduction from Scope 1 to Scope 3, fostering of biodiversity and the provision of means for more conscious consumption. All the while focusing on creating positive ecological and social impact.
Be it for reporting reasons, customers’ ambition to reach their SBTi-goals or just their drive to create more sustainable product solutions that customers can communicate and valorise safely on the market – we are happy to get them closer to the raw material they source.
For us, to achieve this necessary positive impact on an ecological and social level, joining forces along the value chain is paramount.
That’s why we founded The Connected Collective – our initiative focused on collaboration along the entire value chain to develop specific, science-based solutions that support farmers in adopting regenerative cultivation methods. With a step-by-step approach, we focus on transparency, measurable actions and maintaining stable yields while improving our carbon footprint.
According to this mission, we once again hosted the Südzucker Sustainable Farming Days in four of our growing countries, Germany, Belgium, France and Poland, to build the bridge from farmers to customers – and to Team Up for Sustaining Tomorrow!
From Soil to Solutions: Sustainable Farming Day at Kirschgartshausen
At our Sustainable Farming Day in Germany, customers joined us for a hands-on look at the future of farming. Together with our experts, we explored key topics that are shaping agriculture today—and tomorrow.
During the Sustainable Farming Day in Germany, our customers had the opportunity to explore a diverse range of topics, including
- Tackling the challenges of regenerative agriculture
We shared insights on what it takes to scale regenerative practices and the real-world hurdles farmers face. - Putting soil health in the spotlight
Healthy soils are the basis for sustainable farming. A live demo showed how soil analysis helps us understand and improve soil quality. - Making the most of digital tools
From automated robotics solutions to data-based decisions – we showcased how precision farming can support efficiency and sustainability in sugar beet cultivation.
Hands-On with Sustainable Farming: A Day at PIBO in Tongeren, Belgium
What happens when our customers, farmers, researchers, and agri-tech experts meet? A day full of practical insights and real conversations!
During our Sustainable Farming Day, we shared the lessons learned from three years of field research at our research farm PIBO near Tongeren, Belgium. We talked about clear and sincere insights into the risks and challenges farmers face every day.
We also looked at how sustainable farming is measured in practice, using two years of real data. It’s not just theory—it’s about what actually works.
We also invited our customers to join us in the fields: At several stops, we got to see how soil analysis is done and what it tells us about the health of the soil.
We explored ideas to make farming even more sustainable and our day at the research farm ended with a live demo of smart farming machines—showing how technology can make beet cultivation easier and more efficient.
It was a day full of learning, sharing, and down-to-earth solutions for the future of farming.
Sharing, Learning, Growing: Sustainable Farming Day in France
Once again this year, Saint Louis Sucre, part of the Südzucker Sugar Division, welcomed our farming partners to the research farm in Étrépagny and in Tricot at a partner farmer´s farm to share insights on regenerative agriculture.
The day was a great opportunity to exchange ideas, learn from each other, and dive into practical and sustainable farming methods.
Here’s what was on the agenda:
Sharing results from the regenerative agriculture program:
Farmers got a look at both collective and individual outcomes from our sustainable farming initiative.
Hands-on training in the field
We focused on soil cracking and securing sugar beet cultivation – from the ground up.
Greening the landscape
Our partner PUR presented their ambitious plan to support 100 km of hedgerows by 2030.
Technical workshop with Novalis Terra
We shared insight on the importance of cover crops, with lively discussions both indoors and out in the field.
A day full of practical exchanges—with strong participation from farmers and plenty of hands-on experience shared.
Where Innovation Meets the Field: Sustainable Farming Day in Poland
In Poland, our Sustainable Farming Day was held as part of the annual Sugar Beet Day – the most significant event for Südzucker Polska’s sugar beet growers.
Before heading out to the fields, our customers were invited to learn more about the challenges involved in cultivating sugar beets sustainably.
Geert Van Aelst, Head of Sustainability at Südzucker Sugar Division, provided valuable insights into our approach to regenerative agriculture, highlighting the importance of collaboration and innovation in driving long-term change.
Slawomir Czapla, Raw Materials Director for Ropczyce & Cerekiew at Südzucker Polska, shared practical reflections on everyday difficulties of sustainable sugar beet cultivation. From climate-related pressures to evolving agricultural practices, his insights highlighted the importance of long-term thinking and local adaptation.
Following this, Kevin Schopp, Head of B2B Marketing at Südzucker Sugar Division, introduced our new initiative ‘Team Up for Growing Tomorrow’ designed to strengthen collaboration and build meaningful partnerships across the value chain.
All in all, these events were once again a great success, also feedbacked by visiting customers and partners (Nestlé Deutschland, KLUG Fachgroßhandel für Kellereibedarf, Stock Spirits Group). Something which we are very happy about. We were delighted to, once again, provide a platform for meaningful exchange and insightful conversations, with something new for everybody to take home with. That’s what drives us – building bridges and joining forces for mutual success.
Do you want to find out how you can benefit from Südzucker’s infrastructure along the value chain? Then don’t hesitate to reach out to us and Team Up for Sustaining Tomorrow!
