Environmental and Social (E&S) Assessment and Management System. Soufflet has effectively developed and implemented a corporate Integrated Quality, Environmental, and Safety (QSE) management system (MS) compliant with international standards, such as: ISO 9001:2015 for the agro and malting division; and ISO 14001:2015, ISO 45001:2018 and ISO 50001:2014 for the malting division. The scope of this QSE MS applies to its core businesses, including the malting and agro operations in the Project’s countries. At the malting facility in Bulgaria, the QSE management system is in place and currently ISO 9001 certified. This system will be further elaborated to include all the above-mentioned ISO certifications. Given the reviews of earlier IFC investments, the QSE is robust and includes all elements of IFC PS1. A Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Points (HACCP) framework has been developed for all agriculture and malting facilities and comes under the responsibility of the Food Safety Manager of the malting division and International QSE manager for the agro division.

E&S Policy. As part of QSE MS, Soufflet has developed policies regarding the environment, workers safety and sustainable supply chains. In 2020, the Soufflet Group adopted an overarching 2030 Corporate sustainability strategy “We Do Fair (https://www.soufflet.com/en/our-commitments), which includes these policies. The strategy consists of 5 pillars; i) Protecting ecosystems and climate; ii) Developing a responsible, sustainable economy; iii) Guaranteeing products of a high food safety and nutritional standard; iv) Contributing to regional development; and, v) Ensuring staff members; safety and developing skills. For each pillar, key performance indicators (KPIs) have been determined, including reduction targets, such as GHG emission, water consumption, waste treatment. These will be addressed in the applicable PSs below. The malting division has translated the five pillars in a 2030 division strategy with measurable KPIs and targets on an annual basis. In addition to the corporate strategy, the agro division will implement a new QSE policy focussing on (i) cross-country integration; (ii) reinforcement of HACCP risk assessments; (iii) guaranteeing conformity of products and traceability of grain procurements through an enterprise resource planning (ERP) system.

Identification of Risks and Impacts. As part of its corporate QSE MS, EHS risks and impacts are identified at all Soufflet facilities, according to Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) developed within the QSE MS. EHS risk assessment is the foundation on which management programs are established and reviewed annually. Soufflet’s scope of risk assessment also covers contractors’ operations, including development of corrective measures, audits of Soufflet requirements on implementation and enforcement by contractors performing work at company’s facilities. For new facilities, Soufflet conducts a gap analysis against national regulations and international standards (e.g. EU regulations and IFC PSs). As a rule, the stricter standard will be applied for EHS management. All Soufflet’s facilities undergo an annual internal audit against applicable national legal and regulatory requirement, IFC PSs and WBG EHS Guidelines. Any deficiencies are documented and a plant-level Corrective Actions Plan (CAP) are prepared, including completion timeline and assignment of CAPEX/OPEX. 

Management Programs. QSE management programs and plans of the input distribution, grain procurement and malting operations are based on QSE policy commitments, outcomes of risk identification process, overall E&S performance (based on KPIs and corporate target), and findings of internal audits and authorities’ inspections. Plans are developed or updated annually. Moreover, Soufflet adopted corporate targets for environmental protection, reduction of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, energy efficiency, and waste management. Currently, Soufflet applies KPIs which are monthly reported to the management at the division level and the board at the Group level, which include water and energy consumption, solid waste recycling or reuse, lost time accidents and near misses.

Organizational Capacity and Competency. Soufflet has established an organizational structure that defines roles, responsibilities, and authority to effectively implement its QSE MS. At the Group level, a Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) Director is appointed overseeing all divisions and setting the CSR strategy and monitoring CSR/EHS performance of all divisions. The malting division has a CSR Director, 22 QSE managers managing the 27 malting facilities, one Safety Manager and one Food Safety Manager. In addition, there is one central laboratory with 12 lab technicians. The agro division has an International QSE Manager who oversees the input distribution, grain procurement operations with local staff assigned with a QSE role at each location. In addition, Soufflet has technical committees which are involved in EHS monitoring. During the appraisal, IFC held conversations with the two CSR Directors and the International QSE Manager; such conversations provided IFC with assurance that the local QSE staff is experienced and is competent with respect to management of relevant E&S aspects of the project, as contemplated by IFC PSs. Observations made during a past visit to the Soufflet operations confirmed that opinion. Reports are provided quarterly to Soufflet’s management and corrective measures defined and communicated to the contractor for timely implementation.

EHS Training. Soufflet has implemented a comprehensive EHS training program, including the Project’s countries that encompasses an induction on EHS for new workers and discussion with workers on main EHS aspects. Soufflet implemented a job coaching program, in which local EHS teams are supervised by senior corporate specialists to share the existing expertise across the company. An annual plan for OHS training is developed, as per local requirements, and outcome of risk assessments to be agreed with the QSE Director. Soufflet also has an Environmental and OHS prevention plan for all contractors.

Emergency Preparedness and Response. Soufflet has developed Emergency Response Plans (ERPs) at all its operations, commensurate to potential risks, including life and fire safety. These are documented and maintained in accordance with local law. ERPs are, typically, a combination of procedures for using, inspecting, and maintaining emergency response equipment; notification of the public and emergency response agencies; and, training programs. Specific training on EU requirements (ATEX directives), describing equipment and safe working operations for a potentially explosive atmosphere, is included. The silos in the Project’s countries are equipped with dedusting systems and safety devices; life and fire (L&FS) equipment, including fire alarm systems, fire hose and fire extinguishers. Silos are being inspected on a regular basis to be in compliance with ATEX directives and included in the preventative maintenance program. The malting facilities in the Project’s countries use ammonia for refrigeration purposes, requires chemicals to keep equipment clean, utilizes combustible substances and employs pressurized vessels. As such, emergency preparedness and response activities are required to ensure that workers are protected and understand what measures are to be taken in the event of an emergency. A standard requirement at all malting plants is the installation of clearly marked evacuation routes and lighting throughout the facility. There are trained firefighters along with appropriate equipment in place. The ammonia storage areas, at all malting plants, are equipped with leak detectors, alarms and signage, and have entry restricted to only authorized personnel. During supervision visits of malting plants, these measures were observed to be in place. IFC reviewed the cooling room safety inspection checklist which is considered adequate.

Monitoring and Review. There are various types of internal QSE audits conducted at Soufflet’s operations in the Project’s countries. The QSE Managers conduct equipment and staff safety audits of selected facilities. HACCP and safety audits are conducted by Soufflet’s audit department depending on site performance and implementation of CAPs are closely monitored with an agreed upon schedule outlined in the QSE management system framework. The company has installed a QSE document control software. All Group documents and processes are stored in this software and are at the disposition of all QSE managers of the Project’s countries. All events (human or material incident/accidents/complaints) are registered and classified by the site as minor or important. The CSR Director and Management at the Group level has access to all events, and can make interventions, and follow up on every event they consider important, or upgrade specific events, ranging from minor to important, if deemed necessary. Statistics of events are shared and analysed by technical committees, and quality committees, among others.

The Company has implemented a QSE monitoring and reporting systems, including performance indicators related to resources efficiency, environmental protection, reduction of greenhouse gas emissions, accident reduction and waste management. Management of each division reviews the EHS performance of all facilities on a quarterly and annual basis. Actions are decided depending on performance and mitigation measures included in QSE management programs. The external reporting of individual facilities is carried out in accordance with local legal EHS requirements. Since 2012, Soufflet Group publishes a CSR (Sustainability) report covering all Group’s operations (https://www.soufflet.com/en). The E&S commitments, targets and performance data included in the ESRS are based on the 2019/2020 report. Reporting to IFC on continuous improvement of E&S performance, ESAP items and the E&S management system is provided through Annual Monitoring Reports (AMR).

Supply Chain Management System. In June 2020, Soufflet launched the program “Sowing Good Sense” (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=htLnXNZnzY8). This sustainable approach, which involves all Group’s sourced commodities – wheat, barley, rice, pulses and vines – is based on five pillars: provenance, environment, naturalness, distribution of value, and quality. To date, four of the five ECA countries are involved in the “Sowing Good Sense” program for the malting division. The remaining country is Kazakhstan, which will be included by December 2023. Using the farmers database included in the ERP, the agro division established full traceability of all the grains they procure. In principle, the malting division procures its barley in the same country. In the case the malting division cannot procure enough to meet demand, they will import from another country through the agro division.

Using the Sustainable Agriculture Initiative (SAI)’ Farm Sustainability Assessment (FSA) tool, the malting division aims to procure 80% sustainable cultivated barley by 2030. To assess sustainable primary production, SAI has set guidelines, including respect for the bio-physical environment (soil, water and biodiversity) at the farm level. Currently, the agro division is testing the FSA tool, through independent verification by Control Union to assess, improve, and validate on-farm sustainability in their grain supply chain. The outcome of the 2021 verification was that the majority of the farmers scored Silver which means that the farmers’ sustainable farming practices are recognized by leading companies: 100% coverage of essentials, 80% of basic, and 50% of advanced. A small group of farmers scored Gold: exceptional farming practices. 100% coverage of essentials, 100% of basic, and 75% of advanced. The certificates are valid for three years. If this approach is confirmed, Soufflet will repeat the verification audit after three years or sooner if they add new farmers to their sourcing base

Soufflet adopted a responsible purchasing approach committing all of its divisions for an initial period from 2020 to 2025 In this period, Soufflet Group aims to get 80% of the Group’s strategic suppliers (except farmers) to obtain compulsory EcoVadis assessments. EcoVadis ratings cover a broad range of management systems including Environmental, Labor & Human Rights, Ethics and Sustainable Procurement. For the malting division a global assessment was done in April 2021, resulting in a Silver Rating. The Silver Rating means that the division score is in the top 25 percent globally of all companies. Going forward, the agro division suppliers will also be included in the EcoVadis rating.

As of April 2021, in the malting operations in the five ECA countries” the number of permanent employees is 268 (63% male and 37% female ratio) and 96 contractors. For the agro division, there are 338 (56% male and 44% female ratio) and 60 contractors. Going forward, there is no planned retrenchment foreseen for the operations in the Project’s countries.

Human Resources (HR) Policies and Procedures. In each country of operation, Soufflet has in place an HR policy and procedures manual and a code of conduct, based on the Group policies and procedures and local labor regulatory requirements. As per the Group HR policy, the contents are shared with new employees during their induction process. The manual contains information on terms of employment and working conditions, covering employment, recruitment, probation period, transfers, promotion, and termination. It provides details on work schedule, remuneration, including overtime pay, public holidays and leave, health insurance, pension fund, training and development, staff relations and communications (including a grievance mechanism or GM), occupational health and safety, workplace rules, code of conduct and disciplinary actions that could be taken. Based on this policy review, IFC confirmed the alignment and consistency of Soufflet’s HR policy framework with the requirement of IFC PS2.

Working Conditions and Terms of Employment. Soufflet companies in the Project’s countries are committed to comply with local labor regulations and Soufflet Group’ Policies and Procedures. All workers at Soufflet’s operations are direct workers under permanent or temporary contracts. Third party workers are only used during civil works or construction of a new plant. Regular working hours and overtime paid are in accordance with the local labor laws in the countries of operation. In the malting facilities, there are 3 shifts of eight hours. The company offers competitive salaries which are regularly updated, based on benchmarking against market and industry practice in countries of operation. Employees are provided with a contract and the terms and conditions specific to the grade and role of the employee as per the Company’s requirements and local Labor Codes. The Company does not envisage any retrenchment in the Project’s countries during the lifetime of this IFC financing. Should retrenchment be necessary, the company will ensure early consultation with all stakeholders in line with the Group retrenchment procedure and with the national labor legal requirements.

Workers’ Organizations. Soufflet does not restrict the freedom of workers to associate. Management encourages workers to establish a worker committee to discuss labor and OHS aspects of their operations. This provision is well defined in Soufflet’s HR policy and communicated during worker induction session. These workers organizations are in place in the five ECA countries.

Grievance Mechanism. A formal corporate worker’s grievance mechanism procedure, is in place and provides several alternatives for employees and temporary workers to raise concerns in writing to management other than to immediate supervisors and allows grievances to be presented without the risk of retaliation, in line with IFC’s PS2. In case contractors do not have their own grievance mechanism, the Soufflet will extend their grievance mechanism to third party workers to facilitate the communication of possible grievances. For 2020/2021, Soufflet reported no issues raised by workers and contractors.

Gender and Gender Based Violence (GBV). Based on the IFC GBV risk screening, medium risk exists in the five ECA countries while a low risk exists at the Project level. Sexual harassment stipulations are included in the Soufflet Group’ HR policy and are explicitly addressed in the HR Policies in the Group’s subsidiaries. The company does not tolerate any form of harassment, and this is communicated to all employees during the induction process. The corporate worker’s grievance mechanism procedure includes expertise to manage sexual harassment cases.

Protecting the Work Force. Neither child labor or forced labor will be or is utilized by any Soufflet operation in Eastern Europe as per the Group HR requirements. Soufflet only employs persons according to legal age employment regulation.

Occupational Health and Safety. As part of its “We Do Fair” program, Soufflet Group has set a target of a 50% reduction of lost time accidents by 2023. Soufflet reported a lost time incident rate per million hours worked of 4.5 in 2018/2019 and 4.7 in 2019/2020, which compares favourably to the 2013 US benchmark rate in food manufacturing of 5 lost time incidents per million hours worked applied by IFC. In the past years, Soufflet has given a lot of attention to safe working conditions and improving the safety culture at their operations. For example, in addition to their training program, the Soufflet malting division implemented “Safety Behaviour Visit”. This consists of a short meeting around a working operator during which an action is analysed. The aim is to make operators aware of risks resulting from inappropriate behaviour at work. Safety KPIs include number of lost time accidents for employees and contractors; training completion and safety incidents. These are reported via an OHS dashboard for each facility and also publicly disclosed in the facilities. When an incident or accident occurs, a flash-card is developed showing the incident or accident, the root causes and corrective measures taken. The flash-cards are then translated and published in all facilities. Due to a very low lost time rates and even zero accidents for several years in most countries, the agro division, focusses on near miss reporting, analyse thereof and where needed implementation of corrective measures.

After several years of zero accidents, the agro division had two lost time accidents in 2019/2020 and in 2020/2021 For the malting division, the lost time rate and severity rate decreased from 2019/2020 to 2020/2021 by respectively 42% and 33%. For both divisions the rate is below the 2013 US benchmark rate in food manufacturing. Soufflet will report on the progress on the corporate reduction target of 50% and providing data on accidents, root causes and measures taken for employees and contractors in the AMR. Soufflet has put in place practices to ensure a safe working environment for all workers. Those jobs that have inherent hazards and risks (such as working at height, in confined spaces, with energized equipment, or with hazardous materials, i.e. ammonia) have been assessed and safe working measures developed and implemented. For example, a lock-out-tag (LOTO) practice ensures that workers engaged with energized equipment are protected from exposure to electricity, pressurized liquids, etc. while they complete their tasks.

COVID-19 Measures. Based on a risk assessment, Soufflet developed a continuity plan and implemented strict quarantine measures at all its operations, including limiting the number of workers during shifts to ensure social distancing. Trainings on these contingency measures have been added to the EHS training program. In some countries, grain procurement has decreased, and malt production suspended due to the decrease of malt deliveries (due to lock down) to brewers and high malt stocks. There were no lay-offs. When employees need a PCR test for professional reasons, these are reimbursed by the company. Senior management has periodical communications with the workforce to discuss the status and local management check in with their workers on their well-being.

Supply Chain. In general, grain production in Eastern Europe, due to being fully mechanized, is not known to be associated with the types of social risks and impacts contemplated by PS2 (child labor, forced labor, and significant safety issues) according to the current edition of the US Department of Labor List of Goods Produced by Child Labor or Forced Labor.

Resource Efficiency. In line with its 2030 corporate sustainability strategy (“We Do Fair”) and reduction targets, Soufflet undertakes continuous efforts to continuously promote pollution prevention and energy efficiency measures. It is fully committed to continue working towards efficiency of energy and water consumption as well as resources / material inputs, through its internal QSE audit process. The production of malt is a resource intensive process and involves three main steps, namely (i) soaking the barley - also known as steeping - to awaken the dormant grain; (ii) germination and sprouting; and (iii) heating or kilning the green malt in order to produce its final color and flavor. Some of the cleaner production (CP) measures implemented by the malting division are the installation of new heat pumps reducing energy consumption and costs, and implementation of a new steeping method to reduce water use.

All energy and water resource efficiency measures are aimed at increasing efficiency and are expected to be in line with the relevant industry practices for the malting and agro divisions. Proposed water reduction use of 20% is scheduled from 2017 and 2030 at Group level. The malting division is committed to include 30% renewable energies in its mix, while investments in equipment to reduce greenhouse gas emissions are ongoing. For the malting plants, the 2020/2021 benchmark for water consumption was 4.21 m3/ton malt produced. All malting plants are below this benchmark, except for the malting plant in Kazakhstan where further investments are needed to reduce the water consumption below the benchmark. In the meantime, the malting plant is applying a strict control of the water use, mainly in the steeping vessels.

Greenhouse gas emissions. All malting facilities use natural gas as its main energy source. Back-up diesel generators are used in case of power outage. As part of the “We Do Fair” corporate QSE program, Soufflet has set a target of a 5% reduction in energy consumption, 5% reduction of GHG emissions from the energy (Scope 1 and 2) and 15% in transport (Scope 3) between 2020 and 2025. The malting division has joined the Carbon Disclosure Project (CDP) and completes an annual global evaluation on its carbon footprint, covering scope 1, 2 and 3. The emissions of the Project’s countries exceed the 25,000 tonnes of CO2eq annually. Therefore, the company will report in the AMR its annual GHG emissions and the mitigation measures taken to reduce GHG emissions.

Pollution Prevention. The main environmental risks associated with the silo and malting operations are related to grain dusts and noise. Moreover, it poses risk of explosions or fires if allowed to build up in an uncontrolled way within the facility. To avoid either of these situations, existing facilities have been built to meet state-of-the-art standards for dust control, utilizing filtered ventilation and enclosed conveyor systems. Moreover, these systems must be well maintained and cleaned regularly to prevent any potential dust related problems. To reduce noise level, engineering and administrative controls are implemented. As needed, for workplace having noise levels above 80 dBA, all equipment is confined inside the production buildings and earmuffs are provided to staff.

The malting plants have small gas boilers to produce heat that will be used in the kilning process. Their thermal power capacity ranges from 3 to 6 MW which are considered small combustion facilities, as defined in WBG General EHS Guidelines. Based on 2020 measurements, air emissions from boilers and burners in the malting division meet local regulatory and the WBG EHS Guidelines thresholds. Since April 2021, the malting plant in Kazakhstan has been connected to natural gas replacing heavy fuel oil. For the past six year, the Tekeli malting facility completed annual ambient air monitoring to assess whether ambient air concentrations impacted sensitive receptors. The results demonstrated no exceedance of the national and World Health Organization (WHO) ambient air limits. The company conducted measurements at the border of sanitary protection zone (300 m from the site’s border). The 2020 ambient air monitoring results for NO2, SO2, CO particulate matters were much below the established national and WHO limits.

Process wastewater is generated by the malting plants only. Two malting plants (Ukraine and Romania) in the ECA region have onsite wastewater treatment plants (WWTP) that discharges treated effluent to local rivers. The malting division refurbished the WWTPs in Ukraine and Romania to enhance quality of water discharged to the local rivers to ensure compliance with local regulations and WBG EHS Guidelines. Review of the treated effluent monitoring data at these malting facilities with a WWTP showed that the effluent meets the WBG EHS Guideline limits for food wastewater (aligned with the French or local limits). The other malting plants discharges their effluent to municipal WWTP after which the treated effluent is discharged to local rivers. At these sites, the local authorities accept the effluent for treatment and there have been no issues in treating Soufflet’s effluent. In 2011, when Soufflet started operating its two malting plants in Bulgaria, the company shared the analytical results of the WWTPs with the local authorities. A conformation letter was received that the effluent could be treated to meet the standards for discharge.

Solid Wastes. As part of its “We Do Fair” program, Soufflet Group has set a target of 0% of landfilled waste in 2030. The malting division has a target to recycle 90% of their wastes by 2030. Soufflet is managing, in the five ECA countries, the solid wastes in a sustainable manner. Such wastes (sludge or dust) are used as sustainable energy, animal feed or as a fertilizer (where local authorizations are obtained).

Hazardous Materials, including Pesticide Storage, Handling and Use. Hazardous materials, such as ammonia for refrigeration and diesel for back-up genset and fire system generators, are properly and separately stored and marked with appropriate warning signs. Soufflet is not involved in primary agricultural production and as such no pesticides are used directly by Soufflet in this context. Rodent and cockroach control at the malting facilities are undertaken by licensed companies. The agro division stores and sells fertilizers and crop protection products (CPPs), including pesticides. Soufflet developed and implemented in the Project’s countries a pesticide selection procedure which excludes the purchase, use and trade in products that fall in Class Ia (extremely hazardous or Ib (highly hazardous) of WHO recommended classification. In the past years, Soufflet has updated its policy and procedures to meet IFC’s PS3 requirements on store, use or trade in WHO Class II (moderately hazardous) products. Soufflet has an inventory of Class II pesticides and will provide to IFC annual reports on inventory and actions taken to reduce trade in Class II chemical formulation in its agricultural operations in the ECA region to the extent economically viable. Safety operation procedures are in place for pesticides transport, storage and distribution, including warning signs, personal protective equipment (PPE) use, training, product segregation and handling. Seeds treatment plants have measures in place to avoid workers exposure to pesticides, in addition to enforcement of the proper use of PPE. Moreover, the agro division facilities, except for Ukraine, accept empty plastic containers for pesticides from farmers; arrange proper temporary onsite storage and disposal according to EU regulations and the FAO Code of Conduct on the Distribution and Use of Pesticides. In Ukraine the required infrastructure is not yet available, but a collaborative platform initiated by Suppliers is being piloted since Q3 2021. Here Ukrainian farmers can make a request for returning containers. Soufflet is actively raising awareness for this platform with its farmer clients.

Community Health and Safety. Soufflet has evaluated the health and safety risks and impacts of stakeholders that may be impacted by its operations in the Project’s countries. The main risks are those associated with security and ammonia leaks, dust, odor and noise hindrance during construction and operation. All malting plants are located in industrial zones.

Issues associated with inputs, equipment, and processes at Soufflet’s operations are assessed through a variety of means. For example, the company undertakes safety audits and assessments with respect to explosions during plant design, including installation of features to avoid explosions and leaks. Grains present a risk of dust explosion. Measures are in place to ensure that suspended particulate concentrations do not pose a risk (e.g. enclosed conveyor belts). The risk of ammonia leaks, that could also present a risk, are also assessed, and the equipment used for refrigeration is regularly tested and, as noted above, a leak detection system is in place to warn of any irregularity.

For the transport of grain sourced, Soufflet uses third parties. To ensure that the trucks used by these third parties are well-maintained trucks and driven by trained drivers, the contracts is including specific provisions to address these matters. Furthermore, the company ensures that the drivers of those trucks have access to appropriate sanitary facilities either in a designated truck holding area at the facilities or within the industrial zones.

Food/Product Safety Management. As stated above, the malting division has a HACCP framework in place based on the ISO 22000 food safety standard, which is annually checked by an independent certified body. In both divisions, annual internal HACCP assessments are completed. All malting facilities in the Project’s countries have a laboratory for quality testing.

Security Providers. Soufflet subsidiaries contracts this service either from private companies (Bulgaria and Romania) or provides its own security personnel in the Project’s countries. In both cases, security guards are trained and certified in accordance with local regulatory requirements and do not carry firearms, except for Bulgaria where the private security providers carry alarm weapons. A review of the Bulgarian security provider’s Security Plan, training requirements and instructions demonstrated that these are guided by principles of proportionality and good international practice (UN Code of Conduct for Law Enforcement Officials) and by applicable Bulgarian law.

Sustainable Management of Living Natural Resources. Grain production areas in the ECA region are located in consolidated agricultural lands, and as such there is no high risk of recent or expected significant conversion of natural and or critical habitats. Reviewing the grain production areas for the Project’s countries, the Global Forest Change (GFC) data confirmed that there has been no recent significant natural habitat conversion. This was validated for the farmers supplying to Soufflet during the FSA audit by Control Union. In addition to the FSA/SAI certification, the agro division operations in Romania and Ukraine are certified under the International Sustainability and Carbon Certification (ISCC), which ensures that i) biomass is not produced on land with high conservation value (HCV) areas and high carbon stock (HCS); ii) good agricultural practices (GAPs) protecting soil, water and air are applied; iii) human rights, labour and land rights are respected; iv) sustainable material is traceable throughout international supply chains; and v) GHGs reduction targets are met (e.g. for European biofuels markets). The FSA/SAI tool and ISCC standard largely align with the PS6 requirements.

Since 2017, as part of a technical assistance program called SOILTEQ (http://www.soilteq.eu/en/), the agro division provides services to farmers regarding GAPs considering natural resources and soil technologies. Farmers learn how to improve their soils by changing soil treatment, usage of permanent cover and crop rotation. SOILTEQ is present in each of the ECA countries were the agro division is active. Besides visiting farmers, they hold workshops twice a year. In addition, Soufflet provides climate resistance grain varieties.