BISCUITERIE DE L’ABBAYE AND ITS SIAL FOR CHANGE CSR AWARD
SIAL For Change was launched in 2024 by SIAL Paris, in partnership with CSR consultancy Hyssop, as the first award dedicated to recognising corporate social responsibility initiatives across the agri-food value chain. Its ambition is not simply to reward good intentions, but to give visibility to companies that have embedded social and environmental responsibility into strategy, operations and supply chains.
For the food industry trade show, the initiative also marks a shift in how innovation is being framed. Product novelty still matters, but the wider question is now how companies produce, source, package, employ, communicate and give back. In 2026, SIAL For Change is set to expand into a dedicated space in Hall 6, designed to showcase concrete CSR commitments and help visitors explore responsible practices across the food sector.
Within this wider movement, Biscuiterie de l’Abbaye’s 2024 distinction with the SIAL For Change CSR award appears as one of the food exhibition’s Success Stories: the public recognition of a commitment built steadily over many years, from local sourcing and environmental action to workplace inclusion and product innovation.
From sablés to sustainability
Biscuiterie de l’Abbaye is a 100% family-owned company based in Lonlay-l’Abbaye, in Normandy, close to an 11th-century abbey and within the Normandie-Maine Regional Natural Park. Its roots go back to a village bakery, where sablés biscuits (or “cookies”, depending where you are from) were baked over a wood fire before the business formally became Biscuiterie de l’Abbaye in 1964.
Today, the company produces Norman specialities, organic biscuits and dietary biscuits under its own brands and private labels. In 2024, it reported €48 million in turnover, 6,517 tonnes of biscuits produced, 254 employees and 22% of production exported, mainly to Europe, North America and South-East Asia under the Pierre Biscuiterie brand.
Biscuiterie de l’Abbaye’s CSR approach is organised around four pillars: innovation, quality and proximity; quality of human relations; respect for the environment; and solidarity and societal involvement. These priorities have been developed over time through concrete milestones, from signing the UN Global Compact and obtaining ISO 14001 certification to carrying out carbon assessments and receiving the Entreprise du Patrimoine Vivant label. In 2024, that trajectory continued with two further markers: joining 1% For The Planet and winning the SIAL For Change CSR award.
Looking back on the experience, the company explains: “We are continuing our CSR initiatives in all areas, environmental, social, societal, etc., with the same momentum. SIAL For Change was an opportunity to highlight our actions to our customers, but also to the general public and, in particular, our consumers.”
Local sourcing, product work and plant-based biscuits
One of Biscuiterie de l’Abbaye’s most visible commitments is proximity. The company says 80% of its ingredient purchases come from the Grand Ouest region, covering suppliers in Normandy, Brittany, Pays de la Loire, Poitou-Charentes, Centre and Île-de-France. In 2024, 51% of its ingredients were of organic origin.
This local logic is not only a purchasing story. It shapes product identity. The biscuit maker works with regional ingredients such as Isigny AOP butter and cream, Norman cheeses and CRC flour. It uses only French-origin free-range eggs in its recipes and has 26 biscuits under the Saveurs de Normandie signature.
Innovation also remains part of the equation. In 2024, the company recorded 69 new references. Its recent developments include Apéro BILLES, crunchy biscuit balls for aperitif and snacking, and the 100% plant-based Notre Nature range, described by the company as having a reduced carbon footprint compared with recipes containing animal-origin ingredients.
The company directly links the SIAL For Change award to this product work: “This award has been a communication tool to support the launch of some of our new products, including the 100% plant-based ‘Notre nature’ range, which has a reduced carbon footprint. It has also been a recognition for our teams who are involved in CSR initiatives on a daily basis.”
Packaging, energy and the fight against waste
Environmental action at Biscuiterie de l’Abbaye is highly practical. The company says it works to reduce water, energy and packaging consumption per kilogram of biscuit produced, while progressing towards product eco-design. Its cardboard packs can include up to 95% recycled cardboard, some trays incorporate recycled plastic and the company offers biscuits for bulk distribution.
Food waste is another long-running priority. The company reintegrates some broken biscuits into recipes after grinding, sells downgraded products in its shop, donates to charities and uses some outputs for animal feed. Since the creation of its TOP Produit working group in 2009, it says it has reduced waste by more than 40 tonnes per year, representing around €100,000 in annual savings. It also reports saving 72 tonnes of ingredients through weight-control optimisation, equivalent to 213 tonnes of CO2 avoided.
Energy and climate work are similarly embedded. A 150 kWc photovoltaic installation at Magny-le-Désert has produced one-third of that site’s consumption since summer 2022. The company also reports a 12% reduction in gas consumption over 17 years through oven energy audits and optimisation.
A people-centred SME model
The jury’s recognition also reflects Biscuiterie de l’Abbaye’s social dimension. The company reports a gender equality index of 98 out of 100 and its initiatives also include workplace ergonomics, an annual TOP Ergo budget of €60,000, a quality of working life budget of €50,000, and partnerships with organisations supporting people with disabilities in ordinary workplace settings.
For the company, the SIAL For Change award carried an internal meaning as much as an external one. “We were pleasantly surprised to have been selected given the number of applications. This award was a source of pride for us as a company, but also more broadly for SMEs and organisations of our size that contribute to promoting French expertise and the country’s economic network.”
That statement captures the broader relevance of SIAL For Change. The transition towards more responsible food systems will not be driven by multinationals alone. It also depends on regional manufacturers, family businesses and specialist SMEs able to connect heritage with measurable progress.
The company adds: “The values that were recognised by SIAL For Change are shared by all the employees of Biscuiterie de l’Abbaye, and this award was given to each and every one of them.”
As SIAL Paris continues to place CSR alongside innovation, sourcing and market development, Biscuiterie de l’Abbaye offers a grounded example and SIAL Success Story of what responsible growth can look like.