The commitment to sustainable development and all that it provides is part of Sooro Renner’s daily actions. This responsibility has been reinforced with the Sooro Renner Rural Sustainability Program, which was certified by the Unilever Sustainable Agriculture Code.

The Rural Sustainability Program is a project that aims to reach milk producers, the base of Sooro Renner’s supply chain. The initiative aims to help them grow in a sustainable and responsible way by including dignified working conditions, besides the preservation of the environment. 

Among the actions developed by the professionals that work in the Program, milk producers are oriented with regard to practices that aim to improve their agricultural productivity and milk production, with the reduction of environmental impacts, respecting the health and safety of their workers. In this way, the initiative meets the environmental pillars: the economic and social pillars of sustainability.

UNILEVER CERTIFICATION

For the Sooro Renner Rural Sustainability Program to receive the Unilever Sustainable Agriculture Code certification, several criteria had to be met. The process involves conducting a certification audit, and after the Program’s implementation, verification audits take place annually. 

The partner properties need to meet criteria involving crop and pasture management; pest, disease and weed management; soil management; water and energy management; biodiversity; waste management; animal welfare; workers’ health and safety. All these items have a relevant impact on the Program’s effectiveness and on the benefits it brings to the property and the environment.

PROGRAM IN ACTION

The initiative brings several advantages to the chain involved. Sooro Renner aims to have an intimate relationship with the environment in which it operates; as it depends on natural resources, the company is concerned with the needs of society. 

Environmental preservation ensures that resources are not depleted, so that the region and the company can continue the development process, as well as the generation of more jobs and, consequently, more income. Making a difference in society and contributing to environmental protection can strengthen a brand even more, because consumers increasingly seek to know the origin of products and brands that have socio-environmental commitment gain more credibility.

PARTNERSHIP IN THE SUPPLY CHAIN

Sooro has no direct relationship with milk producers, so it relied on the partnership of one of its suppliers, the Starmilk dairy from the city of Céu Azul – PR. The dairy, which also has in its culture and values the sustainable development of the milk chain, helped in the implementation of the program with its producers. By joining the Sooro Renner Rural Sustainability Program, the dairy and the rural producer start enjoying several advantages. High-yield crops can be produced with minimized resource consumption, and these conditions ensure the optimization of profits. In addition, the practices have a direct impact on working conditions, air and water quality, and therefore on the quality of life of the families that depend on dairy production for their subsistence.

With better crop yields, more milk is produced, and better quality milk ensures the development of dairies. The improvement in the quality of life encourages and gives meaning to the work done by people, besides ensuring the loyalty of producers in the supply of milk.

In view of the positive results and reflexes of the Sooro Renner Rural Sustainability Program, the company aims to expand this initiative. The future should be even more promising, the projection is to expand the partnerships, the number of producers should increase – from 10 to 17 – until the end of this year. This is Sooro Renner reinforcing its commitment to environmental sustainability.