Colruyt Group and Inex join forces to further enhance the sustainability of the Belgian Boni dairy products
The renewed partnership focuses on the continued sustainability journey of Belgian milk, with the ultimate goal of offering more sustainable Boni milk, clearly identifiable for consumers
Wednesday, April 23, 2025
Colruyt Group and Inex are extending their constructive collaboration from the past five years for Boni dairy products with a new three-year agreement. This unique partnership is entering an exciting new phase. While the past years primarily focused on ensuring a stable milk price, sustainability will now be the overarching theme. As a pioneer in sustainability, Colruyt Group is committed to supporting the continued sustainability journey with Inex and the dairy farmers, particularly focusing on reducing greenhouse gas emissions. The ultimate goal is to offer a more sustainable Boni milk, clearly identifiable in Colruyt Group's food stores.
Continuation of a unique partnership
Exactly five years ago, Colruyt Group and Inex announced a groundbreaking collaboration: a unique agreement at the time to ensure a stable milk price for the participating dairy farmers, based on a fixed percentage of their milk volume.
Gunther Uyttenhove, the manager responsible for Colruyt Group's agricultural policy explains: “Over the past five years, we have built significant expertise on the feasibility and impact of a stable milk price for all parties involved: both for the dairy farmer himself, for Inex and for us as a retailer. In a world of volatile milk prices and rapidly changing markets, this mechanism was not a given. Thanks to good and constructive dialogue, we were able to find a respectful and feasible response from all parties every time, particularly when market prices spiked. Colruyt Group's flexibility was greatly appreciated and well received by each party”.
Today, the market price is very different from 2019. The contract between Colruyt Group and Inex will continue for the next three years, now based on the market price and the previous fixed-price mechanism has been abandoned. The multi-year contract aims to maintain stability and create certainty for all parties involved.
Working together on further sustainability of milk
Within the existing strong and constructive partnership, and with respect for each other's individuality, it was now decided to embark on a new path and to collaborate over the next three years to further enhance the sustainability of the milk. This remains a significant challenge for everyone in the chain. Specifically, Colruyt Group and Inex, together with the dairy farmers, will explore what additional initiatives can be implemented to move forward in this direction, with a primary focus on reducing greenhouse gas emissions.
Gunther Uyttenhove comments: "We are eager to learn more about this impactful category: we are convinced that by working together and sharing data, we can strengthen each other and become smarter. This will enable us to determine more accurate and targeted actions, and to achieve demonstrable reductions from a reliable baseline measurement." Today, Inex is working with more than 300 dairy farmers supplying milk, who are actively engaged in mapping the sustainability of their milk production. “From these insights, we aim to take further steps towards climate and environmental goals in a supported manner, both short and long-term", says Steven Dierickx, CEO of Inex.
The intention is to gradually evolve towards even more sustainable milk production, building on an existing relationship and working towards long-term supply chain cooperation. A conscious decision has been made to pursue a growth path in which dairy farmers feel supported in becoming future-proof in their business operations.
Making sustainable milk more recognisable to consumers
Ultimate goal of this partnership: to continue efforts to make the Belgian milk sector more sustainable and to communicate this to customers. Colruyt Group is committed to supporting this journey and bringing it closer to the consumer. Gunther Uyttenhove adds: “The specific details are still being worked out, but what is clear is that we aim to make the pride of the Belgian dairy farmer more tangible for our customers. We are taking advantage of this partnership to positively strengthen our relations with the Belgian agricultural sector and send a clear signal that, as a retailer, we want to remain an example in the continued sustainability of the food industry."