To become one of only four Belgian companies ever to earn the SDG Ambassador title, Fruit At Work participated in the Voka Charter for Sustainable Entrepreneurship (VCDO). This program supports companies in undertaking sustainability initiatives aligned with the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). SDG Ambassador is the highest achievable level in this trajectory: it takes 3 years to become an SDG Pioneer, 2 more to reach Champion level, and another 2 to finally become Ambassador.

An SDG Ambassador must show proven efforts in areas like due diligence, human rights, reporting, and CO₂ reduction. “Our Due Diligence Policy and Approach earned great respect from the jury. Fruit At Work invests significant time and energy in translating theory into practice. How many hours a day do people really work? What wages do they get for those hours? How are their living and working conditions?” Yannick Aerts, co-CEO of Fruit At Work explains.

Unanimous Decision

“We are incredibly proud of the jury’s unanimous decision to reward us the title of SDG Ambassador,” says Yannick Aerts. Belgium's Chancellery Department and the Department of Foreign Affairs praised Fruit At Work’s sustainability reporting, which complies fully with the CSRD directive, mandating European businesses to transparently and in detail identify and list all the relevant ESG themes (Environment, Social, Governance). Although SMEs like us are not yet required to meet this standard, “we want to lead by example and show that when an SME really wants to make a difference, it can,” Yannick Aerts continues.