Royal Cosun is an international agricultural cooperative, known for brands like Cosun Beet Company and Aviko. They’re looking for a software solution supporting both the CSRD requirements and their strategic sustainability KPIs. Cosun isn’t rushing this decision — they’re taking a thoughtful approach with input from internal stakeholders to select the best sustainability management system.
Reporting and driving change with a sustainability management system
“There’s a combination of internal motivation to steer with non-financial data and external pressure from regulations to report sustainability data. We want to have the right system in place as soon as possible,” says Wilfert van Veldhoven, Group Controller at Cosun, explaining the dual goals for a sustainability management system.
Royal Cosun has been around for 125 years and is owned by 8,100 sugar beet and potato growers. The organization employs over 4,200 people and works with suppliers and farmers in Europe, Asia, and North America. Business groups like Aviko, Cosun Beet Company, Duynie Group, Sensus, Cosun Protein, and Cosun Biobased Experts all fall under the Cosun umbrella.
Supporting the sustainability strategy
The first goal is to support their overall strategy: Cosun wants the sustainability management system to help them steer towards their strategic KPIs. “One pillar of our strategy is ‘Future-proof sustainable chain’—we’re working towards a sustainable and future-ready supply chain,” Wilfert explains.
This strategic pillar runs deep in the cooperative’s DNA: “We’ve been around for 125 years, and we plan to still be here for our farmers in 125 years. A farmer tends the land passed down from their parents, aiming to hand it over to the next generation.”
Preparing for CSRD
The upcoming CSRD (Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive) plays a role in the second goal: reporting sustainability data. “With the CSRD, we’ll need to report much more non-financial data than we’re used to. For example, we didn’t previously include CSR data in our annual report, and we’ve only done limited internal reporting on it,” Wilfert explains.
Reporting sustainability data requires a different approach than financial data. “Financial data has long had a solid system, with reporting deadlines, audits, and clear regulations. For non-financial data, that doesn’t exist yet,” says Wilfert.
200 Data points from dozens of locations
The scope of non-financial data is complex, requiring a large volume of data points from various locations worldwide. “We have 6 business groups and operate in over 20 countries. Regulations require us to report about 200 data points from dozens of locations,” Wilfert shares.
There are also qualitative requirements: “I want a solid process in place so we can always report the correct version of qualitative requirements, like a specific policy. We have to do this annually, so I also want to ensure we manage changes and approvals effectively.”
A sustainability management system instead of a reporting system
Wilfert uses the term sustainability management system instead of reporting system: “I want a system that not only helps us collect non-financial data in a controlled way but also helps us manage the processes around it better.”
This will allow Cosun to report with confidence. “The CSRD reports will also need to be audited—by 2025, we’ll need to provide limited assurance for them.”
Independent guidance in software selection
Cosun wants to make a well-informed choice and has asked Intire to guide the software selection process. “Intire has the expertise for these kinds of projects,” Wilfert says. “They previously helped us select a Disclosure Management System. We also did a strategy session with them a few years ago to explore the landscape.”
“There are many options to consider. From our independent position, we categorize these systems based on their origins: health & safety, EPM and ERP platforms, and pure sustainability reporting and management systems developed specifically for this purpose,” explains Wesley Schulte, consultant at Intire.
A strategic starting point
Cosun operates with a lot of autonomy across its business groups, so building support from all stakeholders from the beginning is essential. Wilfert explains, “It may be a corporate system, but the people in the business have to work with it. And they’re not just financial people—many other stakeholders will use the system.”
The process kicks off with a workshop, bringing together representatives from all business groups, IT, finance, sustainability, procurement, and reporting. “This was a strategic session aimed at creating a unified statement about what we’re looking for,” Wesley adds.
Proven selection approach based on best practices
The next step is to dive deeper into the processes and requirements through focused workshops. Intire also oversees the RFP (Request for Proposal) process, from sending requests to evaluating proposals, creating a shortlist, and running demos.
Wesley says, “We’ve guided many organizations through their software selection processes. We follow a proven approach based on best practices. This ensures each step is evaluated objectively, for example, by using demo scorecards.”
These scorecards cover a wide range of topics. “Such as usability, procurement requirements, and how the software fits into the broader IT architecture,” Wesley explains.
Open and independent approach
Wilfert appreciates this approach: “Their open and critical view of all the solutions is extremely valuable. Intire has the necessary market knowledge and insight into current developments to define the right requirements and evaluations. That’s invaluable. For me, it’s about having the best information to make the right choice, with everything that needs to be discussed brought to the table. Intire does that transparently and independently.”
Principles for implementation
The final decision was to go with Beezzz, a low-code system based on Microsoft technology designed explicitly for sustainability management. The next step is implementation, where Intire remains involved.
Wilfert takes a structured approach to this as well. “There are a few key principles I want to stick to: having clear definitions, knowing the data sources, maintaining solid processes to keep that data up-to-date, and documenting everything properly. This will ensure the process is repeatable, and we can meet the requirements yearly.”