Sustainability commitment

Climate Positive

Our sustainability commitment is at the center of our Group mission to delight consumers by conserving the goodness of nature. We have always looked to nature as our partner and feel we need to do even more to drive change. Therefore, we are making a commitment to be net positive in our environmental impact – we will give back more than we use.

It’s not just about packaging – the scope is far broader than that. In our ambition to be climate positive we will consider the full impact from 'Farm to Fork'.

Focusing our efforts

Our sustainability strategy is based on our commitment to Planet, Products and People. We are implementing actions to become climate positive. Over the last few years, we have spoken to hundreds of partners to understand the impacts our operations have on the world, and are taking the right steps to achieve our sustainability commitment.

Read about our Materiality matrix

Our ambition

We want to make a positive difference, not only for our customers, consumers, partners, and employees, but for the planet as a whole.

Planet

Reduce our environmental footprint and give back to nature more of what we take.

Product

Conserve nature goodness through naturally healthy products

People

To positively contribute to the lives of the people who make Hero a success

Our sustainability pillars

1

Sustainable sourcing

Conserving raw materials, packaging and finished goods via strategic sustainable sourcing to ensure we have a positive impact on biodiversity, healthy soils, and local farms. We will need to do this in close partnership with our suppliers and farmers.

2

Net neutral production

Conserving natural resource is via carbon neutral production on all our products.

We will do this by reducing and optimizing our use of energy, water, and waste within our production facilities, but also work with our co-manufacturers to drive this ambition together.

3

Naturally healthy food

Conserving nature's goodness via naturally healthy food. We will leverage our brands to educate and collaborate with consumers on a holistic diet good for us and for the planet. We will enhance our portfolio to give consumers more naturally healthy options – more of the good like nuts and whole grain and less of the bad like refined sugar and red meat.

4

Purposeful people

Growing and developing our people. Hero is a values-led family company, and that's reflected in our culture. We invest in training and development, and are committed to providing our people with what they need to thrive. Hero is an equal opportunity employer with programs in place that aim to make our workforce diverse and our workplaces inclusive and safe.

Sustainability Report 2022

Sustainability is not a trend – it’s about taking responsibility for our and future generations. Our Hero Group Annual Report 2022 integrates our GRI Sustainability Report, underlining our commitment and highlighting the path we have been on, our destination, and goal to give back more to the planet than we take. The Sustainability Report can be found starting page 183

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“Sustainability is key to future profitable growth and to achieve our goals for people and planet. I look forward to implementing measurable initiatives to further embed sustainability across the Hero Group.”

Christine Crosby

Sustainability Director Hero Group

Working behind the scenes to deliver on our commitment

Leopold Oetker

Shareholder and Member of the Hero Group Board of Directors, Sponsor of Sustainability

Leopold Oetker

Shareholder and Member of the Hero Group Board of Directors, Sponsor of Sustainability

Leopold Oetker joined the Hero Board of Directors in 2016. Since March 2019, he has been a member of the Hero Finance and Audit Committee.

Oetker successfully completed his studies in Culture Studies and History in Berlin and Copenhagen.

He undertook a two-year international business development traineeship at the Hero Group’s former partner Yildiz Holding, and worked at the Istanbul Foundation for Culture and Arts. He is involved in charitable work, helping underprivileged children in his hometown Berlin, Germany.

Oetker has taken an active role in formulating and promoting the Hero Group’s sustainability commitment to become net neutral.

Rob Versloot

Chief Executive Officer, Sustainability Executive Sponsor

Rob Versloot

Chief Executive Officer, Sustainability Executive Sponsor

Mita Sen

Chief Strategy & Transformation Officer

Mita Sen

Chief Strategy & Transformation Officer

Mita Sen joined the company in February 2019 as VP Strategy & Business Development before taking on the role of Chief Strategy & Transformation Officer in November 2022.

Sen began her career at PepsiCo International before joining consultancy firm McKinsey & Co where she worked her way up to Associate Partner. Here, she cut her professional teeth in transformation and strategy projects and has worked and lived across Canada, the UK, Singapore, the Philippines, and Switzerland. She completed her MBA at INSEAD in 2011.

Sebastian Portius

VP Product Development & Innovation, Lifecycle Assessment Lead

Sebastian Portius

VP Product Development & Innovation, Lifecycle Assessment Lead

Christine Crosby

Sustainability Director Hero Group

Christine Crosby

Sustainability Director Hero Group

Désiré Mouanga

Director Procurement Hero Group, Pillar 1 Lead

Désiré Mouanga

Director Procurement Hero Group, Pillar 1 Lead

Kyriakos Kasapidis

CFO Supply Chain Hero Group

Kyriakos Kasapidis

CFO Supply Chain Hero Group

Luisma Sanchez

Director Research & Nutrition Hero Group, Pillar 3 Lead

Luisma Sanchez

Director Research & Nutrition Hero Group, Pillar 3 Lead

Garmt Nieuwsma

Front End Innovation Scout, Research & Development Hero Group, Core team

Garmt Nieuwsma

Front End Innovation Scout, Research & Development Hero Group, Core team

Marleen van der Wende

Project Manager Quality and Innovation Semper, Core team

Marleen van der Wende

Project Manager Quality and Innovation Semper, Core team

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