De Heus Business Principles: Our compass for acting with integrity

“In recent decades, De Heus has experienced tremendous international expansion. From doing regional business in the Netherlands to producing in over 20 countries and exporting to over 75 countries throughout Europe, Middle- East, Africa, Asia and South America. We encounter many different cultural norms and values, but also varying regulations and legal procedures. In daily practice, this means that our employees can come across grey areas where something might be legally permitted within national borders but does not align with De Heus’ global Business Principles. This can create complex situations, where different stakes intersect. Commercial purposes, ethical behaviour and legislation, for example.”

“My main priority is to cultivate a culture in which every De Heus employee is empowered to act with integrity and make decisions that align with our Business Principles. Moreover, if they are unsure whether business integrity is still intact, we want them to feel confident and comfortable to ask their manager or integrity officer for help. Whether it concerns environmental issues or human rights, we must always ask ourselves and each other: are we doing the right thing right now? Are we doing enough by complying with local legislation, or should we do more based on our group-wide Business Principles? The tone at the top, setting the example and action is central to the overall ethical environment of De Heus. Leadership within De Heus must give the right example, explain compliance rules and provide employees with guidance. Together with our country integrity ambassadors, I put our Business Principles on the agenda at our business units via training sessions, guidelines and our Supplier Code of Conduct. Our new Speak Up programme will also play an important role.”

“As an actor in the food chain, De Heus has a shared responsibility to ensure proper business practices in our chain. Because we believe it’s important, but also because our stakeholders expect this from us. Our Supplier Code of Conduct is an extension of our Business Principles. It enlists our suppliers in upholding these same principles and encourages them to make choices that contribute to the sustainable development of our value chain. This includes ethical business, good governance and human rights, but also environmental issues. Our Responsible Feeding programme is based on the same values as embodied in our Supplier Code of Conduct. Since its introduction in 2021, over 60 percent of our suppliers worldwide have already signed our Code of Conduct and we are adding new suppliers every day.”

“It all comes down to trust and transparency. Every actor in our value chain must invest in sustainability. This transition takes time. For De Heus, but also for our chain partners. In order to tackle the growing challenges associated with the sustainable development of our chain, engaging in open and honest dialogue must become part of our company culture and the way we work. To give an example: starting in 2025, we will only use sustainable soy and palm. Which is why this year, we use our Supplier Code of Conduct to engage our current suppliers with our sustainability ambitions and hopefully convince them to support us in our ambition and make more sustainable choices.”