Creative ideas during Sustainable Business Challenge Final

The teams first ‘pitched’ their ideas to the company they were linked to for this challenge. Each company subsequently chose their own winner from the presented ideas.

The three ForFarmers teams had looked into a case which was about circular agriculture. The winning team out of these teams was the one consisting of Esther Snepvangers, Nina Linders, Sylke de Jong and Teun Thyssen. Their idea was: replace the cardboard and plastic used in special feed bags with compostable plastic (bioplastics) and paper and process herbal seeds in this paper, which the dairy farmer can use for herb-rich grassland. “An innovative idea”, according to Sustainability Officer Anouk Wentink, on behalf of the ForFarmers jury. “The team had also ideas as to which parties we could realise this with. And they had a fantastic presentation.”

Participating with this Sustainable Business Challenge was valuable for ForFarmers. “It provided us with a different way of looking at sustainability”, according to Anouk Wentink. “But above all, it was a fun and effective way of establishing contact with students from various different backgrounds; it helps to put our company on the map with non-agricultural courses”, Anke Rijnshoeven from the HR department adds.

The ForFarmers case participants were all presented with a voucher. This can be redeemed at ForFarmers how they see fit, for example with a career discussion with someone from the HR department, or perhaps by shadowing a specialist for half a day.