Kerevitaş Publishes 2022 Sustainability Report

Kerevitaş Releases 2022 Sustainability Report Yıldız Holding, operating under the "This World Is Ours" approach, Kerevitaş has released its 2022 Sustainability Report, conducting all operations within the framework of sustainability and food safety. According to a statement from Kerevitaş, the company shares all details of its sustainability journey through the report with the public, ranging from waste and water management activities to R&D and innovation studies. The company is aligning its sustainability projects with the goal of achieving 'net zero' by 2050. Working in line with its decarbonization roadmap created with 2021 as the baseline, Kerevitaş reduced carbon emission intensity per unit of production by 26% thanks to measures implemented last year. Developing a science-based net zero strategy aligned with climate targets, Kerevitaş completed 9 different energy efficiency and management projects in this scope. Through these projects, Kerevitaş aims to achieve nearly 1.7 MWh of annual energy savings and approximately TRY 6 million in financial savings.

Circular business model secured through support for domestic producers

Operating with the 'Farm to Table Zero Food Loss' business model, Kerevitaş is working to reduce food waste to zero across the entire value chain, with this project aiming to raise awareness among farmers about sustainable agricultural practices. By establishing a circular system through this business model, waste reduction is targeted while reducing the need for new raw materials. A large portion of food waste generated in production is reused in livestock farming, while the remainder is repurposed in biogas facilities to generate energy. Raising the share of contracted farmers to 79% this year, Kerevitaş reached 82.5% in contracted raw material procurement. Work is progressing at full pace on the 'Women Stars of Agriculture' project launched in 2022 with the goal of supporting contracted female farmers. With the project also supported by the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry, SuperFresh, one of Turkey's largest agricultural raw material suppliers, aims to provide a purchasing guarantee of 5,000 tons of fresh fruits and vegetables to contracted female farmers until 2025, creating TRY 35 million in value. Within the project scope, 1,643 tons were purchased from female farmers in Manisa, Eskişehir, Afyon, Konya, Izmir, Bursa and Hatay provinces in 2022, creating approximately TRY 8 million in value. The project also aims to double the proportion of female farmers in the supply chain within 3 years.

'We conduct all operations within the framework of sustainability and food safety'

Kerevitaş Chief Executive Officer Mert Altınkılınç, whose views were included in the statement, noted that they are careful to conduct all operations within the framework of sustainability and food safety, stating: 'By creating value for our customers, employees and suppliers, we ensure our consumers have access to safe food. With our company listed in the BIST Sustainability Index, we continuously improve our practices in sustainable agricultural practices, minimizing food and packaging waste, reuse and using recyclable materials for packaging. 97% of our suppliers are domestic producers, while we source all of our raw materials from domestic producers. Through our sustainability projects, we aim to prevent all food losses starting from the source, namely from the 'field', ensure the sustainability of agricultural production and promote regenerative farming practices.'   Source