Sustainable business practices are top priority, yet for many Belgian food SMEs, reporting requirements remain overly complex, expensive and time-consuming. This is exactly where Fenavian steps in. With its sustainability standard, training programme and online tool, the sector federation processing meat, alternative proteins and prepared meals has developed a practical and achievable solution tailored to Belgian companies, rooted firmly in day-to-day practice.
A European milestone
What started as a cry for help from the industry has now grown into a European reference model. The Fenavian sustainability standard passed the EFRAG test and is 100% aligned with VSME requirements. The European federation FoodDrinkEurope has adopted and launched Fenavian’s training programme and tool as the standard for the food and drink industry across Europe. Making it the first industry in Europe to implement such a standard.
As a result, Belgian as well as European SMEs that use the tool automatically comply with the voluntary official European VSME sustainability reporting standard for small and medium-sized enterprises. A distinctive feature of the reporting tool is that it has no commercial purpose and was developed by and for companies in the food and drink industry.
Fenavian’s hands-on approach did not go unnoticed. In the past year, numerous Belgian and European federations have welcomed the initiative, especially because it is so closely aligned with business reality. A down-to-earth approach combining common sense, low cost and practical, workable implementation. Federations representing sectors such as vegetable processing and potatoes were among the first to implement the tool, but various companies in sectors including oils and ice cream have also started using it.
An administrative burden turned into an opportunity
Although they are not legally required to report under the European Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive (CSRD), many Belgian SMEs are already experiencing its impact. Large clients, banks and retailers must report and are therefore passing on extensive questionnaires to their suppliers. These questionnaires are often complex, inconsistent and difficult to interpret. The combination of administrative and financial burden weighs heavily on them: the costs of multiple systems and subscriptions mounting rapidly.
Fenavian noticed its members were struggling. “Our companies simply do not have the time, staff, margins or expertise to navigate this maze of questionnaires,” says Anneleen Vandewynckel, Director of Fenavian and Brema. The ‘Workable Method’ tackles the problem with concise training sessions that clarify sustainability, alongside a single clear methodology adapted to the reality of Belgian food companies, using clear language and without the need for major financial or time-consuming investments. This approach is gaining traction across multiple sectors and countries throughout Europe. Anneleen Vandewynckel now trains sectors to educate their own members on the subject.
One single report for various clients and retailers
For Belgian companies, the tool offers two key benefits. On the one hand, it helps them understand the subject, enabling them to integrate sustainability into their corporate strategy and make more informed investments. On the other hand, SMEs can gather their sustainability data in a structured and workable way, retain ownership of that data, and share it in a targeted way with clients.
“Anyone who fills in this tool delivers exactly what large companies require to comply with their CSRD obligations,” Fenavian explains. Sustainability reporting thus shifts from being a burden to becoming an opportunity. Large companies are also using the tool, offering it to suppliers so that the necessary data can finally be collected and processed effectively.
The key is that there is now one single standard and one questionnaire for everyone. It creates a level playing field and allows all companies to participate in sustainability reporting.
Call to Belgian food companies
Fenavian aims above all to give Belgian SMEs the confidence to take action on sustainability themselves; and to not see it as yet another obligation, but as an opportunity. Because it offers clear benefits: greater insight, better investments and a stronger foundation for the future. “Sustainability is only truly sustainable when it can be maintained over time.” Thanks to this tool, that ambition finally becomes feasible for every Belgian food company, large or small. And it allows companies to direct their resources towards genuine sustainability instead of reporting.
The tool is now available at www.workable-method.eu