CSR Annual Report 2022 EU&AMEAP

2022 in review

A Message from our President

I am pleased to present our first Corporate Social Responsibility report. This report shows the progress we made against our CSR ambitions and how our corporate social responsibility commitments are at the heart of everything we do. It reflects our belief that actions matter and that we have a responsibility to make a positive impact in communities around the world.

Steven Verweij President Europe & AMEAP

We officially launched our approach to Corporate Social Responsibility in 2022. Across our organisation we witnessed a lot of great initiatives and actions to help Dawn operate more sustainably and make positive changes for a better tomorrow. From our humble beginnings as two bakers making delicious donuts more than a century ago, we have grown into a worldwide leader in bakery ingredients manufacturing and distribution. We have global reach with a local focus. We have been working side by side with our partners for more than a century to serve local communities and businesses. It is a tradition we continue with pride and passion.

Our global Corporate Social Responsibility Approach brings it all together and allows us to look towards the future more focused and more connected: making a bigger, positive impact.

Our approach to social responsibility aligns to our commitment to our people, our products and our customers. It is what we call our Circle of Excellence:

• PEOPLE: Make the planet better for people and communities around the world

• PRODUCTS: Operate responsibly with products that delight

• CUSTOMERS: Prioritise positive partnerships that make an impact

2022 was also a year with challenges both for Dawn and the entire bakery industry. After the pandemic which brought lockdowns and

economies come to a standstill, we were all hoping for a return to normality in 2022.

But just as the last lockdowns were ending in early 2022, we faced the terrible news of the invasion of Ukraine. As the world was still recovering from the pandemic-related supply chain disruptions, we all had to shift gears and react to another crisis impacting our industry in so many ways.

Our teams immediately introduced initiatives to help the people of Ukraine in any way possible, including some Team Members providing Ukrainian refugees shelter in their homes.

From an industry perspective, the war in Ukraine has exerted even more pressure on supply chains and raw material availability. We have seen inflation rates rise across Europe on the back of the energy crisis. With eggs, grains, wheat and sunflower oil all in short supply, our teams were pushed to new levels of creativity to solve these challenges. From doing our utmost to secure the scarce raw materials to avoid out of stock on certain products, to adapting our recipes with alternative raw materials and supporting customers with applications using alternative ingredients. We worked in close partnership with our customers to find ways to tackle the shortage of key ingredients.

In the challenging year that 2022 was, I could not be more proud of the progress we have made towards our 2025 Corporate Social

Responsibility ambitions. This first annual Corporate Social Responsibility report for Europe & AMEAP provides an overview of the progress we are making and how our ambitions align with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals.

Our objectives centre around supporting people, communities, the baking industry and the environment. Our targets and objectives are focused on:

• Supporting communities through corporate giving and volunteering for example

• Promoting the wellbeing of our Team Members

• Reducing CO2, water and waste in our plants

• Moving to more sustainable packaging

• Creating ‘Better-for-You’ products

• Sourcing our key ingredients in a sustainable way

People are at the top of our Circle of Excellence. That is why I am happy to see we have made so much progress in achieving our ambitions and launched a lot of initiatives supporting communities and the wellbeing of our Team Members.

Spurred in part by the energy crisis, our plants are making good strides in operating more responsibly. Our R&D teams are realising strong progress in making our products ‘better-for-you’ whenever possible. We have also made a major leap forward in operating more transparently. All our plants are registered with Sedex, the world’s

largest platform for chain assessment to store, analyse, share and report on sustainability practices. Through Sedex we are able to optimally manage, assess and report on our sustainability performance with a view to meeting our supply chain goals. All our suppliers act in alignment with our Code of Excellence, which is our guidance for ethical approach to business and fair trading. It serves as the firm foundation for how we do business.

The sale of our frozen business in late 2022 means we are now a 100% ingredients company. This affects some of our Corporate Social Responsibility ambitions as we no longer produce finished bakery items. As a result, it is even more important to partner with our customers and suppliers to make a positive impact. It is all about helping each other, so together we can bring about a more sustainable bakery industry. A sustainable and successful industry that both fulfills consumers’ evolving needs and complies with all applicable food safety standards and regulations.

Progress and change take time. But every step we take together helps in the journey that lies ahead of us. By making everyday changes and improvements, we get a little better every day. Looking at how far we have come in 2022, I am confident that together we will keep inspiring sustainable bakery success in 2023 and beyond.

” Progress and change take time. But every step we take together helps in the journey that lies ahead of us. By making everyday changes and improvements, we get a little better every day. Looking at how far we have come in 2022, I am confident that together we will keep inspiring sustainable bakery success in 2023 and beyond. ”

Our Europe & AMEAP footprint

Regional Head Office

Europe & AMEAP

Amstelveen (The Netherlands)

8 Productions Plants including Offices

Bartoszówka (Poland)

Bielsko-Biała (Poland)

Darmstadt (Germany)

Erquinghem-Lys (France)

Evesham (UK)

Groningen (The Netherlands)

Manage (Belgium)

Palmela (Portugal)

Team Members Nationalities

5 Distribution Centres

Długołęka (Poland)

Duchnice (Poland)

Gądki (Poland)

Palmela (Portugal)

Rumia (Poland)

6 Sales and Marketing Offices Europe

Barcelona (Spain)

Budapest (Hungary)

Oosterhout (The Netherlands)

Paris (France)

Poznań (Poland)

Sales and Marketing Office

Africa & Middle East

Dubai, UAE

Ages

Our approach

At Dawn, we believe our actions matter and that we have a responsibility to make a positive impact in communities around the world. Our approach to social responsibility aligns to our commitments to our people, our products, and our customers – better known as the Circle of Excellence

Across Dawn, our approach to social responsibility is centered on progress. As one of our Dawn values, we understand progress and change take time, but everyday changes and improvements help us get a little bit better, every day.

Globally, our initiatives focus on:

• Supporting people, communities, and the baking industry with equitable and inclusive programs that inspire.

• Responsibly creating and distributing our products to improve overall wellbeing and reduce our environmental impact.

• Working with our customers and partners to advance sustainable efforts and ethical practices that make an impact.

Our pillars

Products

Operate responsibly with products that delight

From our comprehensive standards for product and packaging development, to our manufacturing and distribution practices, and commitment to high-quality ingredients, we focus on the wellbeing of our customers, their consumers, and the environment

People

Make a better planet for people and communities around the world.

As a global community, we are all connected as people. Dawn is committed to supporting the health, safety, wellbeing, and education of our Team Members, the baking industry, and the communities in which we operate. We put people at the top of everything we do and value diverse perspectives, equality, and inclusion for all.

Customers

Develop positive partnerships that make an impact

We work to create a more sustainable and better shared future with partners committed to doing business the right way for our customers and the industry. Our partnerships are focused on responsible sourcing, sustainable efforts, regulatory principles, and stewardship of natural resources

Our 2025 ambitions Europe & AMEAP

People

• Enrich communities by actively supporting with funds & products and encouraging our Team Members to actively engage and volunteer in their communities.

• Supporting the future of bakers and the bakery profession with trainings and collaborating with schools and academies

• Supporting the health, safety and wellbeing of our Team Members and offering continuous development opportunities for all.

Products

• Implementation of 100% recyclable or re-usable and non-single use plastics packaging solutions.

• Increase the range of Better-for-You-products, by offering new and reformulated solutions to drive new nutritional standards.

• Reduction of carbon footprint in our plants through optimized management of energy, water and waste.

Customers

• Drive ethical, sustainable and responsible behaviour in our organization and the supply chain

• Create supply chain transparency by having all plants registered with Sedex.

• Extending responsible sourcing initiatives and assurance of key ingredients.

• Maximize impact by intensifying partnerships with suppliers, customers & NGOs to advance sustainable developments and innovation in our supply chains, products and packaging.

ENRICH COMMUNITIES

Corporate Giving Program

Maximize our impact on communities by donating Dawn products and monetary funds in all countries where we have a sizeable presence

SUPPORTING THE FUTURE OF BAKERS

Intensify our partnerships with Bakery Schools and academies

Launch Volunteering Program and enable team members to volunteer in a community initiative

1day per year

SUPPORTING THE HEALTH, SAFETY AND WELLBEING OF OUR TEAM MEMBERS

3

Employee Resource Groups (ERGs) in place

1

Offer new Training & Development opportunity per team member/ per year

Promote the importance of mental health with

3 new initiatives in place

ENRICH COMMUNITIES

IMPLEMENT SUSTAINABLE PACKAGING SOLUTIONS

Implement Actively promote to eliminate all single-use plastics

100% recyclable or re-usable packaging

INCREASE OUR RANGE OF BETTER-FOR-YOU PRODUCTS

Increasing the number of Dawn Balance® SKUs by

+50%

DAWN BALANCE®: Better for you Better-for-you products that don’t sacrifice taste or performance

REDUCE CARBON FOOTPRINT OF OUR PLANTS

Waste reduction

Sodium reduction

Bring sodium levels of our Dawn branded portfolio to IFBA (International Food & Beverage Alliance) recommended levels

-10% Recycle 100% of general waste

2 Energy reduction Water reduction vs. 2021

-10% vs. 2021

DRIVE ETHICAL, SUSTAINABLE AND RESPONSIBLE BEHAVIOUR

100%

of our suppliers acknowledged our Code of Excellence

CREATE SUPPLY CHAIN TRANSPARENCY

All our plants registered with Sedex (Supplier Ethical Data Exchange)

RESPONSIBLE SOURCING INITIATIVES

Maximize current responsible sourcing initiatives

Increase Rainforest Alliance certification on cocoa to

75%

Expansion of responsible sourcing initiatives on key ingredients

Our contribution to the world’s goals

The 17 United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals set out what the world needs to achieve by 2030. Through our approach and our set objectives per pillar, we contribute towards achieving 12 of these goals. Here’s how:

People

Through initiatives such as our Corporate Giving Program, we focus on supporting underprivileged communities by providing monetary funding and product donations.

Our partnerships with bakery schools enable us to help sustain the bakery profession for the future. Through our internal programmes, we encourage our own teams to continue to learn and develop.

In a male-oriented industry, we are at the forefront of promoting women in the industry and providing equal opportunities. Our Women’s Leadership Development Program is a great example of our efforts in this space.

Diversity, Equity and Inclusion are in our DNA and we are dedicated to creating an inclusive working environment for all Team Members. Everyone should be able to bring their true self to work every day.

Products

As a food manufacturer, we focus on developing ingredient solutions that contribute to consumers’ health and well-being.

We are in the midst of an energy transition and where possible we are moving to renewable sources of energy such as solar.

We are conscious of our environmental footprint in relation to producing our ingredients and aim to have zero waste and produce our products as efficiently as possible.

We actively reduce the carbon footprint of our production sites by optimising our energy management, water usage and waste streams.

Customers

We hold both our Team and our supply partners from whom we source our ingredients accountable for ethical and fair treatment of employees.

Most of our raw materials are sourced from land, and through our sustainable sourcing programmes and certificates we help minimise the impact and work to conserve or restore ecosystems.

Through our Code of Excellence, we establish ethical business practices in our organisation and across the supply chain.

While we are a global bakery ingredients manufacturer, we can only make a true difference if we work together with our partners, our customers, our suppliers and NGOs.

Gijs Heidstra Vice President People Europe & AMEAP

make a better planet

for people and communities around the world

At Dawn we ensure people are at the top of our Circle of Excellence. That is why I am so proud of the great people initiatives Dawn put in place in 2022.

Through our Corporate Giving Program, we continued to actively support charities in our local communities across Europe & AMEAP. We provided monetary donations and products to food banks and families in need. In addition, we donated € 100,000 to provide food, shelter and necessities for Ukrainian refugees.

We introduced our Birthday Leave policy as a sign of recognition for our Team Members. This policy means our Team Members get a day of paid leave so they can celebrate their special day with friends and families, on top of the standard holiday entitlement.

In 2023, we will build on our initiatives and introduce more exciting benefits for our Team Members. We are particularly looking forward to introducing our first Team Member Network (ERG) that will let our Team Members come together around a specific aspect of diversity, which further fosters inclusivity and builds a sense of community.

Our 2022 highlights

We empowered our People to inspire bakery success today, tomorrow and beyond in many ways in 2022.

Enriching communities

Corporate Giving Program

A total of €140.000 was donated (money and product value)

Our Corporate Giving Program was launched in Europe & AMEAP in 2020 and is a means for us to actively strengthen the communities in which our Team Members live and work. Through monetary and product donations we support lifestyle initiatives, education, and community vibrancy programs

€100.000 donated to support Ukrainian refugees

Supporting the future of bakers

3 Active partnerships

As part of our ongoing commitment to nurture a new generation of bakers, we are proud that in 2022 we now have three active partnerships.

Supporting the health and wellbeing of our Team Members

Promoting the importance of mental health

We allow two days of remote work per week for all full time Team Members* *where possible

1

new

3 new initiatives

We launched our Birthday Leave policy: Every Team Member gets a day off (paid leave) on their birthday

2

new

3

As part of our Employee Assistance Program, a seasonal stress webinar was provided.

Offering new training & development opportunities

Our people are our most important asset and we actively provide opportunities for them to grow through education and professional development.

The Dawn Women’s Leadership Development Program (WLDP) received the 2022 Best in Baking Program top honors award at IBIE.

This award recognises leadership within the industry and efforts to support the growth and wellbeing of talented suppliers and bakers around the world.

8,048 hours of training in 2022

Did you know?

In 2022 we launched our Program.

The Felix Project (The United Kingdom)

In 2022, we donated muffins, cookies and brownies to the Felix Project in the UK. The Felix Project collects food that cannot be sold and delivers it to charities, primary schools and holiday programmes in London. This means the food is reaching the most vulnerable people in our society with the aim of ensuring no one has to miss a meal.

3,123 KG products

Programs in Action Corporate Giving

Dawn is committed to serving and improving the communities in which our over 700 Team Members work. Through our Corporate Giving Program, we support our Team Members’ efforts in giving back and focus our investments on hunger prevention and health, education, and community improvements.

Life should be sweet, that is why we are committed to creating sweet moments for everyone. Dawn donates products to a variety of local events and fundraisers. Here are a few highlights of the initiatives we supported in 2022 across Europe and AMEAP.

Pax Kinderhulp (The Netherlands)

The Pax (Christi) Kinderhulp Foundation was founded with the aim of providing help to children in need around the world. They organise several events during the year where they sell sweet treats to raise money for children in Armenia and Ukraine. In March 2022, Dawn took part in a three-day event to raise money for Ukraine by selling cookies, muffins and carrot cakes.

Pah (Poland)

In March 2022, our Team Members in Poland supported a charity event of Pah (Polska Akcja Humanitarna). Pah helps the victims of humanitarian crises caused by armed conflicts and natural disasters. More than 1,670 people came together to participate in the 5km Pah charity run. We supported this event by providing sweet baked goods that were sold to raise money for the refugees of Ukraine.

€7,281 worth of products

€4,300 worth of products

The bread and butter thing (The United Kingdom)

We donated muffins, brownies and donuts to the charity: The bread and butter thing. This community-led foodbank supports thousands of families each week in almost 80 community locations. They redistribute over 100 tonnes of food a week, which amounts to almost 250,000 meals. Often it is the little treats, such as cakes, that people in food poverty miss. Our products give those people a positive boost.

Pink October, Breast Cancer Awareness month!

Thanks to the great support of our distribution partners, our team in France raised almost €15,000 last October. With special Dawn Pink October bakery kits French pâtissiers could make pink pastries and decorate their stores to show support and raise awareness for Pink October.

For each kit sold, Dawn France donated an amount to Audomarose. € 15K

‘‘

Meet Claire Cunneen, Global People and Culture Manager

Claire volunteered with with her colleague Janine Chapman for two days, at two different schools. One of which was Our Lady’s Primary School. The day focused on gender equality and invited the students to think about different roles, exploring and challenging gender stereotypes and equal opportunities. The schools were looking for employers to show students that roles can be done by any gender and to broaden their aspirations. Supply Chain can often be a male dominated industry so Janine, as a member of our WLDP, was keen to participate and spoke to the students about her role as a Supply Chain Manager and her career path.

Could you tell us a bit about the Vocation day?

Local businesses attended Lady’s Primary School to introduce children to different vocations. Children got to spend time with different employers and ask them about their roles. They also took part in interactive sessions where they explored more about gender stereotypes. The children were asked to picture a florist and a builder and what they looked like. The aim was for children’s minds to become open to a wide range of occupations and for them to understand that there should be no barriers to what they want to do.

Why did you choose this project?

We chose this project because we have been delivering training and raising awareness on diversity, equity and inclusion across the organisation. Part of the Vocation Day involved showing the students that there are a range of career opportunities for men and women and inspiring them to explore all possibilities, not pre-set on gender stereotypes.

How did you experience these two days?

We had a fantastic couple of days with the pupils! They really enjoyed hearing about what we do at Dawn and joining in the activities that we had organised.

What is your personal opinion on volunteer work?

Volunteering is a great opportunity for individuals to get involved in local events and give back to the community. It enables you to meet new people, learn new skills and increase your self-esteem and confidence. Volunteering can often also give you a different perspective. I am delighted that Dawn will have a volunteering programme in 2023 in which all Team Members have the opportunity to engage in the community and deliver a positive impact. It makes me feel proud to work at Dawn and represent the company. Volunteering is a way for all our team members to feel more engaged, have a sense of pride and establish connections with community partners.

Programs in Action Supporting the future of bakers

Our 2022 Student Ambassadors at UCB Birmingham Nurturing a new generation of bakers

As part of our continued commitment to nurture a new generation of bakers, we have a longstanding partnership with University College Birmingham (UCB) to appoint student ambassadors each year to work with us on seasonal recipe ideas, industry insights, bakery and patisserie tips and much more. The programme, which has been in place since 2017, allows young bakery students to both gain valuable insight into the operation of a major bakery manufacturer and to partner with us on campaigns and product launches. It is a successful initiative for both parties, and along with students’ passion for knowledge and desire to experiment, it keeps product ideas exciting and fresh.

Meet our 2022 student ambassadors below and see the great work they have been doing with us.

Claire is a final year student on UCB’s Bakery and Patisserie Technology degree. She is a vegetarian and is interested in food intolerances and vegan bakery.

Originally an art student, she has found that bakery is a great combination of art and science, and so chose to pursue this for her further education. Alongside her studies, she is currently working as an assistant pastry chef at a bakery in Birmingham to gain further experience in the industry.

Ellen, is also a final year student on UCB’s Bakery and Patisserie Technology degree. She has an interest in gluten-free bakery and is keen on pursuing a career in product development.

She has always loved baking with family members and has recently been working in a local care home kitchen, assisting the chef preparing food for the residents and baking delicious treats for them, too.

Claire Pretty Ellen Horsey

Dawn Foods France holds the first-ever Donut Championship

Given the growing popularity of donuts in France and our far-reaching expertise in American Bakery and donuts in particular, Dawn Foods France seized the opportunity to organise the first Donut Championship in France at the Sandwich and Snack show in Paris in March 2022. We are proud that through this initiative, we help build a bright future for bakers.

‘Escola Profissional’ training (Portugal)

As part of our continued commitment to supporting the future of bakers, we partnered with Moita Technical School in Portugal to deliver practical bakery classes to students. During a 3-day training course, more than 30 students aged 15-18 were trained in bakery skills to support them in their future career.

Did you know?

Our first champion, Diallo Niagalé, has opened two donut shops in France since March 2022.

Christophe Bal (Country Director France at Dawn), Diallo Niagalé (Winner) and François-Xavier Meignan (Bakery Ingredients Purchase Director at Transgourmet)

Photo © Stephane Laure

Our Women’s Leadership

Development Program

At Dawn, our secret ingredient is our people. We are known for empowering women through our passion for leadership development and our dedication to diversity, equity, and inclusion. The vision of the Dawn Women’s Leadership Program (WLDP) is to be the best place to work for women. It helps create exceptional opportunities for professional growth so female Team Members can achieve their highest potential. The WLDP is a rolling Program that partners with the training group Linkage to create more opportunities for development and growth for women in the baking industry.

I was proud to be selected for the first cohort in the Women’s Leadership Development Program (WLDP). It was a great development experience for me. The program enabled me to take the time to think about my career and focus on my career development, which reinforced my confidence. The formal elements of the program, combined with the benefit of having a sponsor, networking with and learning from other women and Team Members on the program, were invaluable.

Perhaps the biggest thing that I have taken away from the program was recognising that I can allow myself to be me and realising that I don’t need to change how I am, how I work and interact with others. Knowing that the Dawn senior leadership team had the trust and belief in me, allowed me to embrace this journey of self-development, recognising that I did not need to change who I was because who I am had got me to this position. I think the Oscar Wilde quote “Be yourself; everyone else is already taken” really sums it up.

I joined the business in 2016 as the Finance Manager for AMEAP in the newly opened Dubai office. I was promoted to the Region Lead for AMEAP in 2022. It is really exciting to have the opportunity to develop my commercial interests and retain an involvement in finance. One of the most important aspects of my new role is to build a sustainable business that we are proud of.

In this region it can still be seen as “trendy” to promote women and mindsets are often formed due to upbringing. This can be challenging and a barrier to overcome. We can address this challenge by raising greater awareness of its existence. As part of the WLDP, I am pleased to further represent women in the region and be a positive role model.

I partner with an Executive Sponsor as part of the program. Her support and guidance has already been invaluable in my new role, and I look forward to developing the relationship further as I progress through the program.

Janine Chapman Supply Chain Manager Benelux & UK/Ireland

Lila Mebarki Regional Leader AMEAP

Diversity Equity and Inclusion

People have been the secret ingredient at Dawn for more than 100 years. People - not some people, ALL people - make Dawn special.

We want everyone to feel confident bringing their true and authentic self to work every day. Team Members everywhere must feel safe, welcome, and appreciated for who they are as individuals.

After all, people are at the top of our Circle of Excellence - always have been, always will be.

Our DE&I approach focuses on:

1 2 3

Embedding DE&I Into Our Mix

We continue to enhance our ways of working to fuel our competitive advantage and elevate Team Member engagement. We do this by recognising and celebrating International DE&I days with special initiatives on occasions including International Women’s Day, Pride Month and Global Diversity Awareness Month.

Training and Awareness

We provide ongoing education and programmes to foster a respectful and inclusive workplace. All new managers take an Inclusive Leadership workshop and all new Team Members attend an Unconscious Bias training.

External Outreach and Focus

We focus on cultivating strategic partnerships to drive inclusive excellence. Throughout the year, external speakers are invited to speak to our Team Members about DE&I-related topics. These sessions are open to all Europe & AMEAP Team Members.

We commit to creating an equitable and inclusive workplace driven by our diverse backgrounds and unique perspectives. We promote a culture in which our differences are respected and celebrated, and our people are empowered.

Our people inspire our bakery success today, tomorrow and beyond.

Graduation WLDP - Cohort 1 including sponsors

Our focus for 2023

2022 was a solid year for our People initiatives and objectives, providing a good foundation for us to build upon in 2023. With a view to our CSR ambitions and objectives for 2025, we are focusing on the following initiatives in 2023:

1 2 3

Launching our Volunteering Program

A key focus area of our Corporate Giving Program is volunteering. This year, 2023, marks the start of our official Volunteering Program. The program enables our Team Members to volunteer for one working day a year, either individually or as part of a team.

We want to make a positive difference in our local communities, while providing our Team Members with the opportunity to build relationships within the local area, develop skills and support collaboration with people from different backgrounds and industries. Creating the opportunities for our Team Members to give back to the communities they are part of underlines our commitment to Diversity, Equity & Inclusion and contributes to our Team Members’ sense of belonging, pride and engagement.

Introducing: A Team Member Network

The Women’s Leadership Development Program sparked our journey for women’s development. Since then, our team in North America has established Women@Dawn, one of our first Team Member Networks (TMNs), also known as employee resource groups. While this group will have a larger focus, part of it will be to deliver development opportunities for women.

We will roll out the first Team Member Network in Europe & AMEAP in 2023. The Team Member Network is an employee-led group where participants come together

around a specific aspect of diversity, which fosters inclusivity and builds community. Our aim is to develop a supportive network that allows Team Members to build relationships and discuss experiences, raise common concerns and create awareness around shared interests.

Why?

We want our Team Members to bring their authentic selves to work and feel valued. Our network will promote an inclusive culture and offers learning and development opportunities.

Introducing: My Learning Commitment

After launching LinkedIn Learning and several development opportunities for our Team Members in 2022, in 2023 we take our commitment to learning one step further. We will set clear learning and development objectives and targets for our Team Members and People Leaders. This is designed to encourage and ensure Team Members utilise the available opportunities and continuously develop and build new skills as a Team. Growing together!

These objectives empower all Team Members to commit to growth and all leaders to focus on developing, coaching, and engaging their People.

Majella de Bruijn Vice President Marketing and R&D Europe & AMEAP

thatproducts delight Operate

responsibly with

A beautiful birthday cake, an indulgent treat, or a centrepiece at a wedding. Our customers bake the most delicious and stunning creations with our bakery ingredients. Together we have an impact on life’s sweet moments, also when it comes to responsible production and consumption.

Sweet bakery will always be strongly connected to indulgence, and we are committed to helping the bakery industry by creating products that are developed and distributed in a responsible way. Baked into our commitment to deliver innovation that matters to our customers, we offer a comprehensive range of bakery ingredients. Our products are designed to help our customers create health-conscious, yet still deliciously tasting, indulgent and appealing sweet baked goods: ranging from ingredient solutions to reduce sugar, salt & fat or to veganize the sweet bakery offer. Responsible consumption in sweet bakery is about finding the balance and offering choice, and we will continue to further broaden our Better-for-You offering to improve overall wellbeing and reduce our environmental impact.

Our 2022 highlights

We have a responsibility as a sweet bakery ingredients manufacturer to ensure we operate and produce our products in a sustainable way. It is our ambition to both minimise our impact on the environment and the communities around us and address growing health concerns. Our focus is on providing ingredient solutions that help our customers make their sweet bakery offering better match consumers’ evolving needs.

Implement sustainable packaging solutions

82% of our packaging is recyclable or re-usable

Reduction of carbon footprint in our plants

We achieved a

10% water reduction in all our plants

All our general waste is 100% recyclable

Nothing goes to landfill. All goes into recycle streams or is offered as animal feed.

8% total energy reduction

We installed solar panels in our facility in Bielsko-Biala in Poland*

*Folllowing our solar panel installation at Palmela (Portugal) and Evesham (UK)

Bartele Bouma Director Operations and Regulatory Affairs Europe & AMEAP

Our production facilities have an impact on the environment around us. To minimize that environmental impact we constantly monitor our energy, water and waste streams to ensure we produce our products in the most efficient way and look for ways to limit our impact further.

In 2022 we made significant steps in optimising our waste streams in our plants in Europe. All the waste from our production sites is now recycled or used as animal feed and nothing goes to landfill. For our energy we are in the midst of transitioning to renewable energy sources, where possible, and have investment plans in place to further expand on our solar energy production. In addition to what we do, we have registered all our plants with Sedex for improved transparency around our corporate social responsibility and sustainability efforts.

Increase our range of Better-for-You products

Sodium reduction: we are aligned with 2025 IFBA’s targets

We launched 4 new Dawn Balance® products

+14% new

Programs in Action Sustainable packaging

The main function of packaging is to safeguard the integrity of our products during transport and storage until the moment our customers use the products. The better our products are protected, the smaller the chance they will be wasted due to breakage or spillage. Preventing food waste is one of the most valuable and impactful things we can do to protect the environment.

Sustainable packaging solutions protect our products with minimal impact on the environment.

Did you know?

1

Recyclable ≠ Recycled.

Recycled means that the material is derived from re-used packaging and materials. Recyclable means it is ready to be processed in the respective recycle stream.

2 3 4

Not all recycled materials are allowed as packaging for food products. When packaging comes into contact with food, recycled material is not allowed when residues of ink, soap or chemicals are present in the material.

Recycling infrastructures and available technology differs per country. Packaging is recycled if it can be collected, transported and cleaned using less energy and resources than would be if created from virgin raw materials. It differs by country what recycling infrastructures are available and how and which materials are recyclable.

Recyclability of Multi vs Mono-material packaging. Paper can be recyclable, plastic can be recyclable. If combined in one packaging, the packaging itself is not recyclable.

Cristina Casanova Research & Development Manager Iberia

As a member of our R&D team, I am passionate about developing products that contribute to sustainable development. More sustainable products in how they are produced, the ingredients and resources used to develop them and how they are “better-for-you” when it comes to nutritional profiles. It is all about creating high-quality and tasty solutions that contribute to consumers’ well-being and broaden their choices.

Our Dawn Balance® range delivers responsible ingredient solutions, without compromising on taste: designed to delight consumers. This range has seen continuous growth since its introduction in 2019.

I am proud that our Dawn portfolio complies with the 2025 IFBA guidelines on sodium reduction. We are looking at new targets on nutrition to widen our commitment.

” Programs in Action Sodium Reduction

In 2022, Dawn took action in the field of sodium reduction. We have committed to being aligned with the IFBA (International Food & Beverage Alliance) global sodium targets for 2025 in the categories “Dessert baking dry mixes” and “Variety/Pancake baking dry mixes”.

We are proud that our portfolio is already compliant with 2025 IFBA guidelines.

Health benefits of reducing sodium

Reducing sodium intake has huge health benefits and is high on the agenda of the World Health Organization to prevent and control certain diseases connected to high sodium intake. IFBA fully supports the World Health Organization’s (WHO) strategy for preventing and controlling chronic noncommunicable diseases (NCDs) connected with high sodium intake. Reducing the intake of table salt is one of the objectives within this strategy. By using less sodium in our ingredient solutions, we indirectly promote and contribute to a healthier diet for consumers and we accelerate progress towards achieving global WHO targets and Sustainable Development Goals by 2025.

About IFBA

IFBA is the International Food & Beverage Alliance that was founded by the CEOs of leading F&B CPG (Consumer Packaged Goods) companies. Its mission is to empower consumers to eat balanced diets and live healthier lives in line with the WHO’s efforts to improve global public health. The members of the IFBA have entered into a global sodium reduction commitment with standardised, stepwise voluntary targets for key categories of products to be achieved incrementally by 2025 and 2030.

We firmly believe we have a responsibility towards consumers worldwide to offer better nutritional solutions to improve our collective health and well-being. We focus on supporting the baking industry to create products that are in line with this responsibility.

IFBA Targets

The current IFBA Global Sodium Reduction Commitment sets targets that IFBA companies voluntarily meet as a minimum by 2025 and 2030. Dawn supports and aligns to the sodium reduction targets of the categories “Dessert baking dry mixes” and “Variety/Pancake baking dry mixes”. Within each category, 90% of the aggregated sales volume of the related products must comply with the set category targets by 2025.

Our Dawn branded portfolio complies with the 2025 and 2030 targets of IFBA. It is our ambition to ensure that 100% of our portfolio meets these targets. In addition, we use these targets as a minimal new product development standard, meaning that any future product development will be conducted within these guideline targets.

Our Better-for-You products

We have seen a significant shift in the ‘better-for-you’ space - from removing less desirable ingredients to consciously adding ingredients known to be better for the mind and body. At the same time, consumers expect these products not to taste simply okay, but to taste simply delicious. Just like any other indulgent bakery product! This has led our R&D teams to develop specific capabilities and products – across product categories – that do just that. Our ambition is to increase the range of Better-for-You products by 50% by 2025. Our Better-for-You range includes:

Sugar & Fat reduced products

Health-conscious consumers want solutions that fit their lifestyle but still meet their need for comfort and indulgence. We have developed ingredient mixes that reduce levels of sugar and fat by up to 30%. More products with less sugar are on the way!

BETTER FOR YOU

Vegan products

Vegan continues to gain relevance across Europe. Vegan sweet bakery product launches have recorded an average annual growth of +17% over the past 5 years (Mintel). Consumers that are not actively vegan are becoming more health-conscious and adopting vegetarian and vegan eating and buying habits. Flexitarians are on the rise with consumers more often choosing a plant-based alternative. We offer solutions across all categories, enabling our customers to veganize their total offering and help consumers to transition to more plant-based and sustainable diets.

Ancient grains

A mix with all the goodness from whole grains, spelt, buckwheat and quinoa that delivers an exceptional artisanal taste and rich texture – along with reduced sugar. This mix provides the flexibility to deliver against multiple trends and diversify with ease, creating better-for-you and guilt-free indulgent ancient grains muffins, cakes, cookies and shortcrust mixes.

Gluten free

For some, eating gluten-free is a lifestyle choice. For others, it is a medical necessity. Whatever the motivation of your consumers, our gluten-free products and ingredients will exceed their expectations. They are formulated to taste just as good as standard products and have the same satisfying sensorial properties.

Protein mixes

In recent years, protein is a nutrient that is seen as something good for you and supporting an active lifestyle. Products with added protein aid strength and contribute to the maintenance and growth of muscle mass. In 2022, we developed a solution for American style mixes with protein which can be tailored to your specific needs.

Gelatine free

Vegetarians and vegans can use gelatine-free products without worry. Our Gelatine Free Fond in combination with a non-dairy whipped cream make fully vegan mousses, bavarois and desserts. In combination with a dairy cream, your products are suitable for vegetarians.

Cleaner label

More and more consumers want cleaner and simpler labels with ingredients they know and trust. Our cleaner label solutions help you offer cleaner products that don’t compromise on taste or quality.

Our focus for 2023

Within our CSR ambitions and objectives for 2025, we are focusing on the following initiatives for 2023:

Solar panels on the roof or of our plant in Palmela, Portugal

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Solar panels

As part of our commitment to reduce energy by 10% by 2025, we will further invest in solar panels in 2023. This yields major benefits because solar power is self-sufficient and installing solar panels is a safe and easy way to help bring about a sustainable future.

What is our plan?

After the installation of solar panels in Palmela and Evesham, we invested in the first set of solar panels at our facility in Bielsko-Biala in 2022. The second set of solar

panels will follow in 2023. Our facilities in Groningen (The Netherlands) and Erquinghem-Lys (France) are planned to have solar panels installed in 2023. We consequently expect five of our eight plants to run on solar energy by year-end 2023.

Investing in solar panels significantly reduces our energy consumption and consequently, our carbon footprint.

Reassess sustainable packaging action plan

We are dedicated to achieving a bold target: ensuring all our packaging is recyclable or re-useable by 2025. While the actual recyclability of packaging depends on the existing recycle streams and infrastructure in each country, we can ensure the materials we select are recycle-ready. In 2022, 82% of our packaging material was recycle-ready. Carton constituted a large part of this amount as it is used extensively for packaging frozen bakery items. We exited the frozen bakery business in late 2022. For 2023 we will therefore reassess the action plan.

Beyond making our packaging recyclable or re-usable, we are exploring ways to further optimise our packaging and making it more sustainable.

New nutritional standards for sweet bakery

With an 14% increase in the number of Dawn Balance SKUs, we see that the better-for-you space is gaining more relevance in sweet bakery. We are pleased that we are compliant with the IFBA guidelines on sodium reduction and we will continue to drive this forward. We are setting these sodium targets as a standard for all new product development and across all of our products.

For 2023 (and beyond) we will further investigate opportunities on sugar and fat reduction and sweet bakery products with improved nutritional values.

Johannes Rogaar Director Procurement Europe & AMEAP

develop positive partnerships that make an impact

Supply chains worldwide faced multiple challenges in 2022. The year saw a sharp post-Covid demand pick-up, the invasion in Ukraine puts more pressure on energy supply, severe droughts, record number of Avian influenza cases, and hyper-inflation.

I am pleased to state that we have succeeded in maintaining our position with respect to responsible sourcing amid these challenges in 2022.

Our 2022 highlights

Drive ethical, sustainable and responsible behaviour

The Dawn Code of Excellence serves as the foundation for how we do business. Everything we do is focused on the goal of winning with excellence – for our customers and our company. It is this commitment that empowers us to be the most effective producer and distributor of quality bakery products to customers worldwide.

100% of our suppliers act in line with our Code of Excellence

All our suppliers have signed or acknowledged our Code of Excellence. They have been audited by Dawn or have implemented their own code that corresponds with our own.

8/8 Dawn plants are registered with Sedex Plant in Erquinghem-Lys, France

We work with certification programmes and organisations to source ingredients responsibly.

Responsible Sourcing initiatives

Despite widespread outbreaks of Avian Influenza causing egg and egg powder availability issues, we maintained our 100% cagefree claim for all our products.

100% RSPO certified palm oil and palm fats.

1/3 is Segregated Palm 2/3 is Mass Balance

100% NON-GMO and sourced from European soybean fields

Our suppliers only use soybeans grown in fields in Austria and other EU countries, ensuring that our beans are grown in the most sustainable way. We do not purchase soybeans grown in monocultures overseas, and we only accept NON-GMO beans according to the strictest standard of <0.1%.

Our focus for 2023

Within our defined CSR ambitions and objectives for 2025, we are focusing on the following initiatives for 2023:

Extend Rainforest Alliance certification

In 2022, 60% of the cocoa raw material we sourced was Rainforest Alliance Certified, including the cocoa used in our frozen products. For 2023, we will reassess our (certified) volumes of cocoa and continuously work with our customers and suppliers to increase the certified volume, In addition, we will investigate the possibility to expand the Rainforest Alliance certification to additional raw materials.

For more information, visit www.rainforest-alliance.org

About Rainforest Alliance

The Rainforest Alliance is an international non-profit organisation working at the intersection of business, agriculture, and forests to make responsible business the new normal. Rainforest Alliance is building an alliance to protect forests, improve the livelihoods of farmers and forest communities, promote their human rights, and help them mitigate and adapt to the climate crisis.

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Actions on paper usage

Paper is a material we use for multiple purposes and across departments. We are committed to doing our part to help combat deforestation and are exploring how we can take action and minimise our impact in this regard. We already separate paper from the waste stream at all our locations to ensure it goes into the recycling stream.

We are looking at new targets and objectives that we can put in place with the aim of further reducing the use of paper and switching to more sustainable materials or FSC

(Forest Stewardship Council) certified paper where possible.

About FSC certified paper

In terms of paper used in packaging, FSC certification ensures that wood is sourced from forests that are responsibly managed in the most environmentally sustainable way possible, including both water and energy use and the end products overall environmental rating.

Transporting our products responsibly

We are first and foremost a manufacturer of bakery ingredients. When it comes to corporate social responsibility, our first priority is to ensure we produce our products responsibly. This is reflected in the clear targets and ambitions we have set for our operations.

However, we are also part of a larger supply chain, which means how we get our products to our customers also has an environmental impact. Together with our key distribution and logistics partners, we are looking into how to reduce our CO2 emissions.

The actions range from changing routes to get from A to B more efficiently, optimising drop sizes to increase the number of full truck loads as well as assessing pallet yields.

With our recent acquisition of Icopa in Portugal, we are growing and expanding our company’s distribution activities alongside our distribution in Poland. The focus of our corporate social responsibility eforts is consequently being broadened to include objectives for our supply chain and distribution.

Maximising supply chain transparency

All our plants are registered with Sedex. It is the world’s largest data platform for supply chain assessment, making it possible to analyse, share and report on sustainability practices. As a member of Sedex, we are part of the world’s leading community for responsible data management and sourcing. Sedex provides us with meaningful audit and supply chain data, which we can manage in one place.

We are also intensifying our collaboration with suppliers with a view to further raising the level of transparency within the supply chain. In keeping with this, we are asking all suppliers to have their corporate social responsibility efforts and initiatives registered with Sedex or an equivalent organisation as a means of improving transparency.