Dossche Mills represents a fundamental transformation within the food industry. While many companies limit themselves to solar panels, electric cars or energy-efficient buildings, the Belgian milling group deliberately chooses a different approach. The company not only wants to reduce its own ecological footprint, but also address the biggest climate impact where it actually originates: on the agricultural field.
1 million tonnes of CO2
With the Terah programme, the family-owned company is building a long-term strategy in which sustainability is not viewed as a marketing tool, but as a new economic standard for the entire grain value chain. According to Dossche, those who invest today in regenerative agriculture and transparent supply chains are building a competitive advantage for tomorrow.
According to CEO Kristof Dossche, the choice is a logical one. The company is directly and indirectly responsible for more than 1 million tonnes of CO₂e each year. Only a limited share of these emissions comes from its own production sites and transport activities. Internal analyses show that nearly 78% of the company’s total CO₂e footprint originates from the production of raw materials, mainly grain cultivation. In addition to reducing its carbon footprint, the company also aims to create a positive impact on biodiversity, soil health and the resilience of farming systems.
Sustainable wheat
That is why Dossche Mills strongly focuses on sustainable wheat cultivation through regenerative agriculture practices. By optimising fertiliser use, reducing soil tillage, encouraging crop rotation and cover crops, and implementing measures that support biodiversity in and around fields, the company reduces the climate impact of cultivation while making farms more resilient to climate change. At the same time, greenhouse gas emissions decrease and biodiversity and soil quality improve.
The Terah programme lies at the heart of this strategy. The initiative brings together farmers, suppliers and customers in one integrated value chain model, “from field to baker”. Today, hundreds of farmers in Belgium, the Netherlands and Germany already participate through various cooperatives. They receive both support and financial compensation to implement more sustainable farming methods.
The Terah flour produced through this sustainable cultivation already has a CO₂e footprint that is around 30% lower than that of conventional flour four years ago. By 2030, the company aims to increase this reduction to 50%.
A comprehensive approach
Within production and logistics as well, Dossche Mills is strongly committed to sustainability. The company invests in energy-efficient installations, renewable energy, more sustainable transport solutions and additional measures to further reduce food waste.
“Transparency is essential. That is why we are building Terah on the basis of primary farmer data, clear chain agreements, monitoring and independent verification. Only in this way can we demonstrate to customers and consumers the impact that is actually being achieved.”
- CEO Kristof Dossche.
With this approach, Dossche Mills aims to play a pioneering role in making the grain value chain more sustainable. The company wants to show that real impact is created not only in factories or logistics, but above all at the very beginning of the chain: in the fields where the grain is grown.