Are you interested in learning how primary data collection from farmers and producers can transform the way we assess the environmental impact of plant production, such as horticulture, arable and orchard crops?

Join our webinar on 13 February 2025. Our colleague Eline will guide you through the challenges and opportunities of gathering on-farm primary data directly from primary producers. Through a preview of our newest digital tool FastCrop™ Footprint you’ll discover how to collect high-quality and accurate primary data to better understand the environmental impacts of agricultural practices at the source.

Our team will be in London from January 28 to 29 for the 4th International Sustainable Foods Conference, together with Mérieux NutriSciences.

Meet us at booth 2!
Join us to discuss and explore innovative approaches to food sustainability and environmental impact reduction. Don’t miss this opportunity to connect and collaborate on shaping the future of sustainable food systems!

About the course

For the North American market, we are organizing a special online course in which we will provide you with the knowledge and tools to unlock the potential of environmental footprinting and Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) in agri-food production.

Throughout the course, you will learn more about the concepts of LCA, corporate footprinting, ecolabeling; international and US market developments, standards and policies for footprinting and LCA in particular; and technical aspects of footprinting. Moreover, in our specialist sessions, you will deep dive into crop cultivation, animal farming systems, and food databases, including how to define healthy and sustainable foods and diets.

After the course, you will have a good understanding of the environmental footprinting context and methodology, and strengthened skills in life cycle thinking and action to further develop your business goals and drive towards a more sustainable future.

Course details & Sessions

• Minimum time commitment: 8 hours (2 core)
• Maximum time commitment: 20 hours (2 core & 3 specialist sessions)

This course is made up of two core sessions + optional specialist sessions (additional purchase). 

• Day 1: Core Session: Introduction to Footprinting (All Attendees)
• Day 2: Core Session: How to Conduct LCA (All Attendees)
• Day 3: Specialist Session A: Crop Cultivation  
• Day 4: Specialist Session B: Animal Farming 
• Day 5: Specialist Session C: Farm to Fork

Registration & Purchase

You can purchase the course via this link. 

Discounts available for registering multiple employees and nonprofit organizations. Contact us for more information.

SBTi Target Setting and Environmental Impact Data for Agriculture and Food Production

Do you work with agricultural or food products and need reliable environmental impact data to align with SBTi FLAG guidance?  

Join our colleague Carolina Carrillo Diaz for a 30-minute expert-led webinar on SBTi FLAG emissions reporting. 

Registration
You can register for free. 

About LCA Food 2024

The LCA food conference is pioneering discussions and exchange on sustainability in food systems since the mid 90’s and takes place biennially, alternating between Europe and other continents. Over the almost 30 years of its history, the conference has become the world’s leading forum on the topic of sustainable food. It reunites hundreds of environmental professionals from multiple sectors (academia, private sector, public bodies, etc.) to share and advance food LCAs and related tools. 

Mérieux NutriSciences | Blonk is one of the sponsors of the event. 

Details
Date: 8-12 September, 2024
Location: Barcelona, Spain
Access: by registration

About the Sustainable Retail Summit

Learn first‐hand how companies are taking positive actions to drive change and overcome today’s biggest sustainability and health challenges.

Partners & Exhibitors

Google Cloud, Bain, Mérieux NutriSciences, P&G, PepsiCo, Coca Cola, PEFC Sustainable Forestry Initiative

Blonk case study in retail

On October 19, Lisanne de Weert and Meike Hopman, Senior Consultants from Blonk, a Mérieux NutriSciences company, will present.

More to be announced soon!

Details conference:
Date: 2023, October 18^th - 20^th
Location: Tivoli Hotel, Copenhagen, Denmark
Access: by registration

About the Climate Week NYC

Climate Week NYC is the largest annual climate event of its kind, bringing together some 400 events and activities across the City of New York . Each year, business leaders, political change makers, local decision takers and civil society representatives of all ages and backgrounds, from all over the world, gather to drive the transition, speed up progress, and champion change that is already happening.

Climate Week NYC is hosted by Climate Group, an international non-profit whose purpose is to drive climate action, fast. Climate Group hosts the official program during the week that brings together the most senior international figures from business, government, civil society and the climate sector.

WWF is a.o. participating in a panel

This panel will cover SBTi FLAG. Blonk is invited as guest speaker. 

Blonk about available tools to report on SBTi FLAG

Lisanne de Weert, Senior Consultant at Blonk will explain which data, databases and tools can help you to report on SBTi FLAG. The SBTi’s FLAG Guidance provides the world’s first standard method for companies in land-intensive sectors to set science-based targets that include land-based emission reductions and removals.

Details Blonk at the Climate Week NYC:
Date: '23, September 21^st at 5.00 p.m. - 6.00 p.m.
Session Name: Reducing GHG in Food Production
Location: New York, United States
Access: hybrid event, by registration

About the 11th International Conference on LCM

The LCM (Life Cycle Management) conference series is one of the world’s leading forums for environmental, economic and social sustainability. The focus is on practical solutions for the implementation of life cycle approaches into strategic and operational decision-making, whether in science, industry, NGOs or public institutions. 

Foundation Earth’s LCA Methodology for Environmental Footprint labelling

Janjoris van Diepen will present Foundation Earth's LCA Methodology. Over the last year Blonk worked with Foundation Earth and Deutsches Institut für Lebensmitteltechnik (DIL) to develop a harmonised methodology to assess the environmental impact of food and drink products. In March 2023 Foundation Earth officially launched the new methodology and made it available open source to increase transparency and stimulate application worldwide. The methodology is based on the Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) approach and makes it possible to make a fair comparison between the environmental impact of food products. 

Details Blonk at conference:
Date: September 6^th at 2.00 p.m.
Parallel Session: Collaboration along the value chain in retail through LCM
Location: Lille, France
Access: by registration

About the Summit

Land & Carbon Lab’s Summit is the premier global conference for policymakers, practitioners, and other innovators seeking to harness the power of geospatial data and monitoring towards this decade’s nature and climate goals. 
The 2023 Summit will convene over 500 participants, connecting scientists and technologists at the frontiers of the geospatial data revolution with decisionmakers and implementers on the
frontlines of land management.

Details Summit:
Date: June 27^th-29^th
Location: Brussels, Belgium
Access: By registration

About the World Soybean Research Conference 11

The 11th World Soybean Research Conference (WSRC11) is hosted by the Donau Soja Association. 

The aim of the World Soybean Research Conference is to promote soybean research and to encourage the global soybean community to interact and initiate discussions, aiming to give answers and raise new questions on the globally important crop, fundamental for food and feed supply. Soybean plays a key role in the development of environmentally friendly agriculture production. 

Details Summit:
Date: June 18^th-23^rd
Location: Vienna, Austria
Access: By registration

Annual meeting Coöperatie Topigs

This year's annual meeting is dedicated to Carbon footprint of Dutch pig farming. Guest speakers include Jasper Scholten (BU manager, Blonk Consultants), Henk Flipsen (Director Nevedi) and Egbert Knol (Director of research, Topigs Norsvin Research Center). Villaume Kal (CEO, Topigs Norsvin) and Mark Tijssen (chairman Topigs Norsvin) will also speak.

Details annual meeting:
Date: Monday, June 5^th
Time: 19:30 – 24:00 hrs
Location: Burgers' Zoo. The address is Antoon van Hooffplein 1, Arnhem.
Access: Members only/by invitation

Investing in Sustainable Aquaculture to Replenish our Oceans

From producers, feed suppliers and health providers to retailers, investors and innovators, the summit provides stakeholders from across the value chain with a vital platform for knowledge exchange and networking through interactive panels, breakout discussions, and quality 1-1 meetings.

Details summit:
Date: Tuesday, June 23^rd and Wednesday, June 24^th
Time: 9:00 – 18:00 hrs
Location: Hilton London Tower Bridge. The adress is 5 More London Pl, Tooley St, London SE1 2BY, The united Kingdom.

Register: https://www.bluefoodinnovation.com/register/

Beverage industry leaders from across the globe will convene in Amsterdam for the Beverage Industry Environmental Roundtable (BIER) annual meeting.

Jasper Scholten, BU manager Blonk Consultants will lead a roundtable discussion about the Bevco Ag Impacts:
- Technical Underpinnings of Regulatory & Other Frameworks
- Challenges & Opportunities

The examples of Blonk's work that cover FLAG and CSRD as well as its insights on how the methods support the various regulatory and other frameworks.

Details annual meeting:
Date: Thursday, May 4^th
Time: 11.00 - 12.00 hrs
Location: The Hermitage, Pushkin Room, Amstel 51, Amsterdam.
Access: Members only/by invitation

Join us for the SimaPro webinar and learn more about Agri-footprint 6.3

The latest version of SimaPro (9.5) is now available and includes Blonk’s Agri-footprint 6.3 database.
On May 4^th we will team up with SimaPro and join the SimaPro 6.5 release webinar. Our colleague Mike van Paassen will guide you through the latest Agri-footprint improvements and developments. Also, the database developers of ecoinvent are present at this informative webinar to show the ecoinvent 3.9.1 database.

Details webinar:
Date: Thursday, May 4^th
Time: 15.00 - 16.30 CEST

Register: https://register.gotowebinar.com/register/8421785609773272924 

Network drink with students during our annual Career Week.

During this week, a wide variety of career activities are organized to help students prepare themselves for the labour market. This network drink with employers is the cherry on top: students will be able to put all their knowledge learned during this week into practice.


Details network drink:
Date: Thursday, April 6^th
Time: 13:30 – 16:00 hrs
Location: Forum building Wageningen Campus. The address is Droevendaalsesteeg 2, Wageningen Campus.

Blonk was present at the WUR Careerday. We met with many Wageningen University students, graduates and PhD candidates.

The aim of WUR Career Day is to provide a platform for students, PhD candidates, recent graduates and employers to meet each other. The event is an ideal opportunity for you to network and an excellent chance to meet your future employer.


Details Career Day:
Date: Thursday, February 7^th
Time: 13:00 – 17:00 hrs
Location: Orion building, Wageningen Campus. The address is Bronland 1, building 103, Wageningen Campus.

Organiser: https://www.wur.nl/en/education-programmes/current-students/student-career-services/students-graduates/career-events/career-day.htm