SINT-NIKLAAS, BELGIUM (August, 2025) — JBT Marel, a leading global packaging and processing provider to the food and beverage industry, announced today that its historic Sint-Niklaas facility has been awarded the Voka Sustainable Entrepreneurship Charter (VCDO). This prestigious recognition acknowledges the company’s dedication to integrating the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) into its operations and business strategy.
This annual certification is administered by the Antwerp-Waasland Chamber of Commerce, a part of Voka’s Flemish network, to reward organizations that demonstrate measurable progress in sustainability across key areas, such as environmental stewardship and social responsibility. To achieve this, JBT Marel’s Sint-Niklaas site implemented a series of concrete initiatives advancing at least four of the five sustainability pillars: People, Planet, Prosperity, Peace and Partnerships.
“This program provides a valuable framework for our sustainability efforts, which have been ongoing for some time. We are gradually renovating parts of our complex, which dates back to the early 1900s,” said Jan Vangansbeke, HSE & Facility Manager. “The facility is now equipped with automatic LED lighting with motion sensors, energy-efficient heating systems and solar panels that generate 300 megawatts of energy per year.”
The JBT Marel Sint Niklaas facility team also recently achieved 1,000 days without a workplace accident, an incredible prosperity milestone made possible by facility-wide collaboration, dedicated safety practices, and audits. To further support these efforts, the facility established a dedicated sustainability team to ensure personnel are actively engaged in advancing its goals.
The team’s sustainability efforts go beyond facility renovation, impacting the very solutions they produce. “Recent developments in our products are designed to drive improved energy efficiency and smarter water consumption,” said Site Director Rui Basto. ”Our Energy Recovery System (ERS) captures heat from the cooling phase of sterilization and reuses it in the next cycle, reducing the need for cooling water and cutting energy use by up to 30%.”
The VCDO certification lasts until June of 2026, and facility leaders are already planning and executing expanded sustainability efforts in preparation for another participation.
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About JBT Marel
JBT Marel (NYSE: JBTM) is a leading global technology solution provider to high-value segments of the food & beverage industry. JBT Marel brings together the complementary strengths of both the JBT and Marel organizations to transform the future of food. We provide unique, holistic solutions by designing, manufacturing, and servicing cutting-edge technology, systems, and software for a broad range of food and beverage end markets. Our aim? To create better outcomes for customers by optimizing food yield and efficiency, improving food safety and quality, and enhancing uptime and proactive maintenance, all while reducing waste and resource use across the global food supply chain. We employ approximately 11,700 people worldwide and operate sales, service, manufacturing, and sourcing operations in more than 30 countries. For more information, please visit https://welcome.jbtmarel.com.