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With its sustainability index, Färm helps you change the world by eating!

10
mar
2021
Matthieu JOLLY
3 minutes

To help its customers change the world by eating, the Belgian cooperative now displays on the labels of the 13,000 food products it distributes, a Färmoscope or sustainability index, based on eleven ecological, societal and economic criteria.

The fact

Because it is not only the price that counts for choosing a product, the Belgian network of organic cooperative stores Färm is launching a new tool in all its sixteen stores: the FärmoscopeObjective: to make customers aware of the sustainability of their consumption and to allow them to have the most positive impact in their diet.

Färmoscope

In concrete terms, each product marketed is analysed with a close eye on eleven ecological, societal and economic criteria:

  • Products derived from organic farming
  • Unlisted trademarks
  • Belgian companies
  • Belgian production and processing
  • Products containing at least 80 % Belgian ingredients
  • Belgian or European brands that clearly indicate the origin of their ingredients
  • Trademarks owned by the producer and/or working with an identified sector
  • Products with a label complementary to the organic label
  • Raw and energy-saving products
  • Products in returnable packaging or in minimum 90% paper
  • Products sold in bulk

 

 

 

 


Each time the product meets one of these criteria, its Färmoscore increases by one point. Ranging from 1 to 11, the note is then printed on the product label so that on the shelves, the customer can at a glance compare two items and make an informed choice between price and impact.

In addition, it also finds on the label the product information (gluten-free, vegan, etc.), the origin of the production or processing or the different labels that each item can boast.

 

All the information of the Färmoscope is then included on the receipt, to better study them quietly at home. A transparency approach that the brand wants to further boost in the coming months by launching a loyalty program rewarding even more purchases with high sustainability score.

Decoding

Founded in 2013, the Belgian cooperative started from the observation that to consume is to vote. So, in the face of current challenges, we might as well do so in an informed manner to promote more sustainable, ecological and responsible consumption!

As Alexis Descampe, co-founder of Färm, points out, “the societal stake behind the Färmoscope is to allow consumers to fully reclaim the value of products. Not only through the usual notion of prices but also and especially in terms of positive impacts on the world. Consumers can therefore make their conscious choices and actively contribute to the world of tomorrow.”

By fully playing the card of transparency around the Sustainability and Forethought consumption drivers, Färm sets itself apart from its competitors, leaving, by the way, the risk of disappointing some customers by selling products with a low score.

Finally, the originality of the initiative lies in the overall sustainability approach proposed by the brand. By combining environmental, societal and economic aspects, it ticks all the boxes and offers a simple and engaging analysis grid. The latter far exceeds the «simple» Nutri-Score. But be careful, the Färmoscope was not made in one day. It is the result of three years of hard work between cooperators!

This work now allows the cooperative to “resist the temptation of low cost” while working on “commitment without return”; two of the seven innovation axes presented at the last Innovate Service Centric conference.

Matthieu JOLLY
Facing with the changes in retail, today's innovations help Matthew to think about tomorrow's relationship between the brand and the consumer.
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