How Gudrun’s materiality matrix aligns our objectives with those of our stakeholders

Gudrun recently launched its materiality matrix, based on a stakeholder survey conducted in April and May 2024. This initiative is part of our VOKA charter sustainable entrepreneurship journey. It has given us valuable insights into our stakeholders’ expectations. Moreover, the matrix reaffirms that Gudrun is on the right track to shaping a sustainable future.
The matrix ranks a variety of challenges and focus areas, with the vertical axis representing their perceived importance, ranging from “moderate” to “very high”, as evaluated by our stakeholders. The horizontal axis reflects their ecological and social impact. To demonstrate how our vision aligns with stakeholder priorities, we categorize three key areas: business, planet, and people.

Business: focus on food quality and innovation

Gudrun’s customers place high value on the quality and safety of our products – a priority shared by the master chocolatiers in our kitchen. Quality is at the heart of everything we do. By blending time-honored craftsmanship with the precision of industrial efficiency, our chocolatiers bring dedication and skill to every praline they create. What truly sets us apart is our ability to produce these recipes at scale without ever compromising on quality.
Rooted in the tradition of Belgian chocolate excellence, Gudrun is committed to innovation and creating a positive impact on both our customers and the environment. A prime example is our Grand Plant-Based vegan assortment. Another is our award-winning UPPA, cacaofruit bites that are a testament to our focus on upcycling. These bites are made from the white pulp surrounding the cocoa bean – a delicious ingredient typically discarded.
Furthermore, the packaging for UPPA is crafted from upcycled agricultural waste, aligning with our commitment to sustainability and bringing us to the second category.

Planet: reducing waste and deforestation

Transforming waste streams into value streams, UPPA stands as the most innovative product in our portfolio. Alongside this, our stakeholders identified deforestation as a significant challenge in our materiality matrix. At Gudrun, protecting the health of our forests has always been a priority. Today, at least 99% of the chocolate we purchase carries the Rainforest Alliance or Fair Trade certification, guaranteeing that the cocoa comes from sustainable sources and that local farmers are fairly compensated for their work. Moreover, we are well-prepared for the upcoming EU Deforestation Regulation, which requires companies to ensure their resources are traceable and free from deforestation or forest degradation.
Gudrun is equally committed to reducing its ecological footprint and minimizing CO2 emissions. Since 2022, we have been sourcing 100% sustainable energy. Additionally, our extensive solar panel installation now generates 18% of our electricity needs. These initiatives underscore our readiness to support Europe’s Green Deal ambition of achieving climate neutrality.

People: diversity, empowerment and avoiding child labor

At Gudrun, we share our stakeholders’ commitment to ensuring that no child labor is involved in our supply chain. To uphold this standard, we actively participate in Beyond Chocolate, a Belgian initiative that promotes sustainable chocolate production and supports farmer livelihoods.
Equally, we place great importance on the well-being of our own people. We foster a strong sense of community through team days, informal coffee chats with employees and board members, and more. Additionally, we collaborate with local sheltered workshops to provide job opportunities for the most vulnerable members of society, illustrating our commitment to social responsibility.

Local sourcing

While our stakeholders value our global focus on sustainable, fair, and high-quality chocolates, they place less emphasis on the local aspect of our operations. However, this local connection has always been a cornerstone of Gudrun’s activities. We maintain an extensive network of local agents and actively support the communities around us. For instance, we collaborated with students from Sint-Gummaruscollege Lier to create a comic book story about plastic waste.

In summary, our materiality matrix serves as a guiding star in our mission to create a positive impact on both our planet and people. It reaffirms that we are on the right path and that our stakeholders share our vision for building a better future.

Discover our latest innovation

A new plant-based chocolates range.