Our approach to sustainability
Sustainability is central to our business. At CZ, we have always sought to uphold high standards of responsibility, governance and integrity in our operations and have continuously evolved our ESG disclosures and initiatives.
A key driver of our ESG approach is supporting our clients and shareholders, and our strategy spans four key pillars:
People
Protecting our culture and growing our in-house talent to support our business, while promoting ethical practices across supply chains.
Planet
Reducing our impacts and using our influence to improve environmental performance in the supply chains we manage.
Prosperity
Generating profit responsibly that can be reinvested in our business and the communities where we
operate to help people and economies prosper.
Principles of Governance
Upholding our commitment to the principles of good governance and ethical behaviour and reinforcing these as we grow.
Our ESG progress timeline
Key achievements
In 2025, we strove to improve our sustainable performance across people, planet, prosperity and governance.
7%
Reduction in Scope 1 & 2 emissions per employee
88%
Completion rate on new ESG training for all employees
100+
Members of Buyers Supporting VIVE
Our SDG Alignment
At CZ, we are committed to the UN SDGs, viewing them as the most comprehensive and widely recognised sustainability framework. Our ESG strategy is firmly anchored in these goals, benefiting from their universal applicability and shared language to navigate our path towards sustainable development.
1. No poverty
Through the VIVE Sustainable Supply Programme we assess and verify the status of a supply chain and create continuous improvement plans with participants. An example of one of the criteria implemented by VIVE is ‘Economic Viability’, which outlines that VIVE participants should ensure that purchase prices cover the crop production costs and allow a competitive profit margin. VIVE participants should have a documented process to evaluate income from alternative competitor crops that the farmer could realistically grow for income generation and cost of living.
There are over 30 VIVE participants in 15 countries, covering over 10,000 farms in 2024.
2. Zero Hunger
Through the VIVE Sustainable Supply Programme we assess and verify the status of a supply chain and create continuous improvement plans with participants. An example of one of the criteria implemented by VIVE is the ‘Quality and Yield’ criteria; which outlines that VIVE participants should encourage farmers to use appropriate soil management and crop production (agronomy) practices to optimise quality and yield. The ‘Quality and Yield’ criteria also advises VIVE participants to define appropriate agronomy field practices based on local conditions and varieties grown.
VIVE is proudly supported by over 90 buyers and financial institutions.
3. Good Health and Well-being
CZ’s HR team ensures employee health and wellbeing are always a priority, offering a range of health benefits and wellbeing events throughout the calendar year, ranging from expert speakers and office social events.
The CZ Community Calendar, provides a platform for celebrating cultural events, sharing wellbeing resources and promoting local office activities.
Tailored to each office, this evolving initiative aims to foster a sense of community and collaboration by annually recognising a variety of global festivals and holidays—such as Brazil Carnival, Diwali, Christmas, Eid, and Lunar New Year—while also highlighting awareness campaigns like Black History, Pride, and Cancer Awareness Months, as well as International Women’s Day (this year themed ‘Accelerate’). Each year, we also offer updated resources and support around mental, physical, and financial wellbeing, and promote participation in local office activities including sports, charity fundraising, and volunteering.
4. Quality Education
Learning and development are a core function of our business, and we have developed a bespoke in-house learning and development platform, ‘CZ Academy’, featuring over 200 online courses, to promote our culture of learning and knowledge sharing across our global teams.
As our business grows, we are incorporating learning paths that support individuals as they progress through their CZ careers. In addition, CZ focuses on educating young people outside of the business through a strong relationship with the social mobility charity UpReach.
Learning and development investment was over US $151,000 in 2024
5. Gender equality
We voluntarily collect and publish data on our gender pay gap in our annual report and highlight changes over a five-year period. Our pay policy is clear: men and women receive equal pay for equal work, benchmarked locally to reflect regional differences.
We focus on addressing barriers women may face and we are committed to creating a supportive workplace for women. For example, we have enhanced maternity arrangements and female colleagues can also access a dedicated 12-month BUPA menopause support package, including consultations with specialist GPs over concerns and treatments.
In 2025 we launched our first Employee Resource Group (ERG), supporting women’s growth through learning, career development, and wellbeing initiatives. Activities include International Women’s Day celebrated via the community calendar.
34 % Gender pay gap in 2024.
6. Clean water and sanitation
Through the VIVE Sustainable Supply Programme we assess and verify the status of a supply chain and create continuous improvement plans with participants. For example, the VIVE criteria ‘Access to Clean Water and Hydration’ outlines that VIVE participants should confirm that on their supplying farms all those working have access to adequate quantities of clean drinking water and are given the opportunity to rehydrate at regular intervals. Additionally, the VIVE criteria ‘Water Reduction and Climate Change Water’ states that water used in participants facilities should be recorded with the aim of reducing water consumption per tonne of crop produced.
VIVE is proudly supported by over 90 buyers and financial institutions.
7. Affordable and clean energy
CZ moved into the renewable energy space in 2020 and focuses on energy generation from the by-products of food production to create renewable processes and/or to supply energy to food and beverage supply chain participants.
In 2023, CZ became one of two partners, together with CMAA (whose shareholders include JF Citrus and Salim Group) to create 2C Energia – an entity that aims to build on Brazil’s dominant position in the global renewable energy market by spearheading the development and implementation of renewable energy projects across the region. 2C Energia strives to explore new opportunities, develop renewable energy projects and actively participate in the energy transition. 2C Energia’s team has focused on establishing small-scale solar plants and is developing 10 solar power plants in 6 different regions in Brazil. For more information please see: 2C Energia’s website.
In 2024 the CZ Energy team sold over 5,000 GWh of electricity in Brazil – a year-on-year increase of 135% in 2024.
8. Decent work and economic growth
By creating long-term value for our clients, shareholders and other stakeholders, we seek to promote the wellbeing and prosperity of people and economies in the regions where we operate, including by creating local employment opportunities, paying local taxes and suppliers responsibly and promptly, and supporting local communities.
We are committed to fair work for fair pay across all operations and are always seeking ways to provide incentives for new talent to join our fast-growing business.
We foster talent from university students and above, including paid internships. A large percentage of our interns become permanent staff members: a testament to their positive experience with us.
Through the VIVE Sustainable Supply Programme we assess and verify the status of a supply chain and create continuous improvement plans with participants. An example of criteria ‘Forced Labour’ and ‘Child Labour’ implemented by VIVE is the participant should ensure there is no Child Labour or Forced Labour at any of its facilities.
9. Industry, innovation and infrastructure
Innovation is one of our core strategic values.
A project that exemplifies our commitment and contribution to innovation in global trade is CZ app, an online platform that brings together a range of datasets to support clients to have a comprehensive view of all operations, from order books to warehouse stock levels and live freight updates.
CZ app subscribers grew year-on-year by 20% to over 13k by the end of 2024
10. Reduced inequalities
CZ is a global, multicultural organisation. Our employees represent multiple nationalities and speak around 38 languages, ranging from Arabic and Latvian to Brazilian Portuguese and Urdu.
Where possible, we also engage with social mobility charities such as UpReach, supporting high-achieving individuals from under-represented socio-economic backgrounds. This helps encourage greater inclusivity and reinforces our commitment to equal opportunity for all.
In addition, we have rigorous policies on workplace culture and clear reporting routes for any discriminatory behaviour.
11. Sustainable cities and communities
CZ’s influence and operations does not currently have the scope to have a significant impact on this SDG at this present time. However, we hope to address it in the near future.
12. Responsible consumption and production
Through the VIVE Sustainable Supply Programme we assess and verify the status of a supply chain and create continuous improvement plans with participants. An example of one of the VIVE criteria is the ‘Storage, Recycling and Disposal of Hazardous Waste’. This criteria outlines that VIVE participants should develop and implement guidance for the storage, recycling and disposal of hazardous waste generated on its’ supplying farms. It also outlines that any hazardous waste should be clearly identified and segregated from other waste.
10 million tonnes of sugarcane verified by VIVE in 2023.
13. Climate action
Where our own emissions are concerned, we report our scopes 1&2 emissions under SECR regulations in our Annual Report.
To assist our Scope 3 stakeholders in their decarbonisation journeys, we have developed VIVE Climate Action (VCA) which is a comprehensive and science-backed decarbonisation solution offered within the VIVE Sustainable Supply Programme. It enhances the existing sustainability assessment and improvement model by incorporating carbon transparency, identifying opportunities for emission reduction, and fostering critical partnerships for carbon reduction. VCA uses Czarnikow’s supply chain expertise to provide a commercially viable pathway for carbon reductions and promote continuous improvement.
In June 2024, VIVE launched a three-year regenerative farming programme for sugarcane in Thailand, in collaboration with Suntory Holdings Limited and Kaset Thai International Sugar Corporation Public Co Ltd. This programme aims to implement low-carbon farming interventions based on regenerative agricultural practices.
14. Life below water
CZ’s influence and operations does not currently have the scope to have a significant impact on this SDG at this present time. However, we hope to address it in the near future.
15. Life on land
Through the VIVE Sustainable Supply Programme we assess and verify the status of a supply chain and create continuous improvement plans with participants. An example of one of the VIVE criteria is the ‘Deforestation’ criteria which outlines that VIVE participants should confirm that none of its supplying farmers convert or damage land with high biodiversity value. VIVE participants should confirm it does not source crops from farmers who have converted or damaged land with high biodiversity value. This criteria is benchmarked against global regulatory conditions for deforestation cut-off dates.
VIVE currently works with 18 sugar mills and their connected farms in 2025.
16. Peace, justice and strong institutions
To strengthen CZ as an institution we have strong governance principles embedded in our business model, which can be reviewed in more detail in our Annual Review.
In 2024, our ESG Committee published CZ’s Business Code of Conduct (‘Code’) which is available on our website. The Code consolidates our relevant policies, viewpoints, expectations, key internal contacts and escalation procedures into one document that employees can reference.
We have developed a Supplier Code of Conduct which outlines the core standards related to labour and human rights, ethics and business and the environment that we expect all suppliers to comply with.
17. Partnerships for the goals
The VIVE programme is a partnership between CZ and Intellync which represents over 20 years of sustainability and supply chain expertise. The VIVE Sustainable Supply Programme aims to encourage sustainable practices across global supply chains. We collaborate closely with supply chain stakeholders to ensure that sustainability standards are met and verified and are commercially viable.
VIVE is proudly supported by over 90 buyers and financial institutions.
Looking for ESG policies?
Here are some quick links to the ones we’re asked for the most:
Code of Business Conduct Sustainability StatementOur ESG Committee
The ESG Committee’s purpose is to ensure oversight of CZ’s global environmental, social and governance (‘ESG’) practices, initiatives and performance.
Natalia Dziedzic - Chair
Head of Compliance
Ben French
Associate Director, Head of The VIVE Sustainable Supply Programme
Renita Chanderballi
Head of Food Ingredients & Packaging Quality
Tanya Epshteyn
Associate Director, Head of Trade & Structured Finance
Louise Watt
Compensation and Benefits Manager
Zoe Turner
ESG Analyst
“At CZ, ESG is not treated as a standalone agenda. It is embedded in how we manage risk, our governance framework and how we support our clients across increasingly complex global supply chains and evolving regulatory requirements.”
Natalia Dziedzic
Head of Compliance
VIVE Sustainable Supply Programme
We created the VIVE Sustainable Supply Programme to help businesses deliver sustainable improvements and differentiate products in the market – creating commercial advantage.
VIVE is for businesses that know sustainability is key to continued growth and success.
Learn more
Frequently asked questions
Does CZ have an environmental policy or sustainability statement?
CZ has a Sustainability Statement which outlines the company’s commitments to environmental, social and ethical business practices. This statement is applicable to all CZ employees and global operations.
Does CZ have a deforestation policy?
CZ does not currently have a public deforestation policy.
We recognise the critical importance of sustainable agricultural practices and are fully committed to addressing concerns related to deforestation, especially regarding high-risk products. Our approach is guided by environmental responsibility and regulatory compliance.
In CZ’s Supplier Code of Conduct we state: “CZ expects Suppliers to protect ecosystems and biodiversity in areas affected by their operations. Suppliers should avoid contributing to deforestation, habitat destruction, and other practices that harm wildlife and natural habitats.”
Does CZ comply with the UK Modern Slavery Act 2015 and have a Modern Slavery Statement?
CZ has a Modern Slavery Statement, which is a public statement that states CZ has “zero tolerance for slavery and human trafficking”, including child and forced labour. It also sets out the steps we have taken to identify, address and prevent modern slavery risks within our business and the supply chains in which we operate.
CZ also has an Anti-Slavery and Human Trafficking Policy, which serves as an internal guide for all employees. This policy outlines individual responsibilities for observing and upholding CZ’s position on modern slavery and human trafficking prevention, including how to identify and report concerns.
Does CZ have a Diversity and Inclusion Statement?
CZ has a Global Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Statement, which is an external policy outlining that CZ does not tolerate discrimination, whether based on protected characteristics or otherwise. This statement applies to all CZ employees and extends to non-permanent members of staff, agents, service providers and freelancers working with CZ.
It covers many aspects of employment, including gender equality, recruitment and selection processes, opportunities for training and development, promotion, and terms and conditions of employment.
Does CZ have a Business Code of Conduct?
CZ’s Code of Business Conduct sets out our expectations of CZ employees and how they should do business.
Does CZ have a Supplier Code of Conduct?
CZ’s Supplier Code of Conduct outlines our expectations of suppliers across a range of ESG topics.
Does CZ have net zero emissions targets?
CZ is not yet at the stage in its emissions journey to have net zero commitments. CZ currently reports Scope 1 and 2 emissions for regulatory compliance, and work is ongoing to understand CZ’s Scope 3 emissions.
Target setting and reduction plans are areas we intend to address in the future. To see our latest emissions-related disclosure please see our 2025 annual report.
How does CZ manage climate-related risks within the business and supply chains?
CZ’s climate-related risks are managed through our internal risk-management framework.
CZ is continuing to develop its approach to identifying and managing climate-related risks and opportunities and is at an early stage of voluntary reporting aligned with the recommendations of the Task Force on Climate-related Financial Disclosures (TCFD). Further information can be found in the TCFD disclosure included in CZ’s 2025 annual report.
Does CZ ensure compliance with minimum working age requirements and avoid child labour across all operations and supply chains?
All CZ workers meet the legal minimum working age requirements in the countries and jurisdictions in which we operate in.
In CZ’s Supplier Code of Conduct we state: “In accordance with the International Labour Organisation’s (ILO) Declaration on Fundamental Principles and Rights at Work, CZ expects Suppliers to adhere to local laws regarding minimum ages of employment. CZ expects Suppliers not to employ any employees under the age of fifteen, unless permitted by local law. Employees under the age of eighteen should not be employed to conduct hazardous tasks. This includes the operation of heavy machinery or any manual labour which has the potential to harm a person.”
Does CZ issue an annual sustainability report aligned with recognised reporting standards?
CZ’s ESG reporting is embedded within our annual report.
Our ESG framework is aligned to the World Economic Forum’s People, Planet, Prosperity, and Principles of Governance framework. We also align our reporting with the Task Force on Climate-Related Financial Disclosures (TCFD) and the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
What are the management and operational functions formally tasked with implementing the sustainability agenda?
The ESG Committee is responsible for CZ’s ESG strategy, including reporting and making recommendations to the Executive Directors of CGL and the CCL (the parent company) Boards.
The Compliance team, which includes a dedicated ESG analyst, work to implement the corporate ESG strategy and ensuring regulatory compliance.
The VIVE team is responsible for executing the VIVE Sustainable Supply Programme.
Does CZ have a whistleblowing procedure in place for employees and external stakeholders?
CZ has a formal Whistleblowing Policy and reporting framework through which internal and external stakeholders can raise concerns relating to suspected wrongdoing, misconduct, legal or regulatory breaches, environmental issues, human rights concerns, fraud, bribery, corruption, money laundering, or other matters of public interest.
CZ maintains two dedicated whistleblowing reporting channels through its FaceUp disclosure platform:
- An internal reporting channel for employees and other internal personnel.
- An external reporting channel, accessible through the CZ website, for external stakeholders.
Reports may be submitted on a named, confidential basis or anonymous basis where permitted by law. Both reporting channels are designed to support the early identification and escalation of concerns and are managed in accordance with the same principles of confidentiality, impartiality, protection from retaliation and appropriate investigation.
Does CZ have a grievance procedure in place for employees?
CZ has a formal Grievance Procedure through which employees can raise workplace concerns, complaints or disputes that affect them personally such as bullying, harassment, discrimination, working conditions, performance management, employment practices or other people-related concerns. These matters are managed through a Human Resources FaceUp platform, which is separate from the Whistleblowing one.
The Grievance Procedure is communicated internally to employees through the Employee Handbook.
Does CZ have a sustainable agriculture strategy or responsible sourcing programme?
The VIVE Sustainable Supply Programme is a partnership between CZ and Intellync (a division of Associated British Foods plc). It is a globally recognised, continuous-improvement sustainability programme designed to make global supply chains more responsible, transparent and resilient. It is a tool that CZ offers to clients as a service to help them meet their sustainability goals. Through independent assessment, VIVE supports producers, traders, processors and buyers on accessing verified sustainability products across farms and facilities. For further information please see the VIVE website.