The 20th
anniversary
edition
March 14 & 15, 2025
at UNESCO • Paris

Ecotone positions itself today as a market leader in organic and fair trade products across Europe, with iconic brands like Bjorg, Bonneterre, Alter Eco, and Clipper. The company describes itself as "small enough to be attentive, large enough to have an impact." As the Director of CSR, how do you embody this positioning?

Emilie Lowenbach: Our positioning is primarily reflected in our approach to biodiversity conservation, which is at the heart of our mission "Nourrish Biodiversity."

To put it another way: we don’t need to deplete the planet to feed ourselves!

As a French certified mission-driven company mission-driven company and European leader with iconic brands like Bjorg, Clipper, Alter Eco, and Bonneterre, we have the means to sustainably influence food systems on different scales. Therefore, we promote exemplary practices and offer the sector and our consumers very concrete actions: two-thirds of our ingredients come from plant species that are alternatives to the world’s most consumed species, we invented the "pesticide pesticide footprint footprint," which, like the carbon footprint, aims to measure the pesticide impact of food, and more.

This same innovation is present in our relationships with our producer partners: our “Farmtastic” program highlights agricultural practices that go beyond organic standards, protecting local biodiversity and ensuring fair compensation for producers.

However, despite all our initiatives and strong brands, we remain a small player compared to the giants of non-organic food, who bear significant responsibility for how the current food system operates.

In a context where the organic food market has struggled, you have shown a rather positive business performance for 2023. How do you see the future of the organic sector in the coming years?

While the organic market is currently in a transitional period after 20 years of continuous growth and a post-COVID slowdown that is now starting to fade, the demand for healthy, sustainable, and seasonal products remains strong. Organic products meet these expectations: no chemical additives, no GMOs, no chemical fertilizers, no chemical pesticides… In short, true naturalness, governed by a strict European regulation, which ensures healthy soil, water, and human health.

Consumers are increasingly concerned with product quality and their health. Considering the number of health scandals related to pesticides that appear daily in the press, I am confident that organic, a proven solution for so many years, will continue to grow for the long term.

Ecotone is committed to protecting and restoring ecosystems, particularly by fighting the use of chemical pesticides, and also seeking to go beyond organic standards. How is this commitment to biodiversity reflected in your work with producers?

Beyond the already high organic standards, through our “Farmtastic” program, we implement practices that ensure the preservation of biodiversity in our supply chains. We work closely with our partners to establish specifications that integrate strict biodiversity and agroecology criteria.

In practical terms, this means that each partner farm is audited according to a dedicated evaluation grid, praised by the scientific community, which assesses their practices in terms of soil preservation, agroforestry, and non-use of chemical pesticides. This rigorous qualification process enables Ecotone to promote sustainable farming techniques and significantly reduce the environmental impact of agriculture on ecosystems.

This program is a long-term support initiative: we collaborate with producers to adopt practices such as crop rotation, the use of natural fertilizers, and the preservation of natural areas adjacent to crops. This partnership ensures that our raw materials respect and foster biodiversity, while contributing to the restoration of ecosystems.

On the occasion of the 20th anniversary of the University of the Earth, you will speak on March 14 about the links between health and food. How can we accelerate access to healthy and sustainable food for all?

Making healthy food accessible is a societal challenge based on three pillars: awareness, economic accessibility, and support for sustainable agricultural sectors, meaning organic.

Nutrition education is crucial for everyone to understand the impact of their diet on their health and the environment. This includes understanding the hidden costs (pollution, disease, etc.) of the current food system, which, let’s not forget, is responsible for the loss of 70% of our biodiversity.

The democratization of organic is also essential. This is what brands like Bjorg have been doing for over 30 years by entering large supermarkets. Businesses and distributors have a role to play by offering healthy products at reasonable prices.

Finally, supporting these sectors is crucial. The government, citizens, and businesses must support organic producers, who are true guardians of a healthy land and unpolluted aquifers.

Since 2022, Ecotone has been the highest-ranked certified B-Corp food company and is now in the top 10 of the largest B-Corp certified companies globally. What has this certification brought you, and what impact has it had on your CSR strategy?

The B-Corp certification certification is the only one that seemed to align with our vision: a concrete and comprehensive measure of our commitments and continuous progress.

Today, Ecotone is recognized as one of the leading companies in terms of biodiversity and social impact, which is reflected in the score we achieved with B-Corp: 116,5.

Our CSR strategy has been enriched with more targeted and measurable initiatives. Finally, this high B-Corp score also strengthens our credibility with all our stakeholders, who recognize Ecotone as a company aligned with their ethical and environmental values.