Sustainability is no longer just a trendy buzzword. The management of resources, how companies operate, and having a holistic view of disparate elements to support human, environmental, and economic health is now an integral part of most U.S. businesses.
In fact, some 80 percent report active sustainability programs as of late 2021, according to a Honeywell study. And there’s no industry where sustainability is more critical than in fresh produce.
What was once largely a public relations move—giving rise to the notion of ‘greenwashing,’ or making a company appear more environmentally friendly than it actually is—is now a major part of business plans, commanding as much attention and importance as human resources or accounting.
But what is sustainability, really, and what makes it differ from similar concepts like renewability and regeneration? Let’s dig into the specifics.
Defining the Work
Renewable resources, as a rule, are ones generated by nature which will ‘renew’ naturally, without human intervention.
Sustainability generally refers to maintaining a resource into the foreseeable future and ensuring the process of cultivating it for human consumption does not threaten to exhaust or damage it.
Regenerative approaches are more aggressive and holistic forms of sustainability, aiming not just to maintain the status quo and prevent degradation of resources, but to actively encourage growth and restoration.
Although these are gradual benchmarks, they’re all part of the same journey toward integrating profit with the planet. You can’t have one without the others.
Whatever approach a company chooses, and whatever stage it happens to be at on the path from renewability to regeneration, it cannot be denied that sustainability is a crucial component of the produce industry.
Growing the food that humans need to survive—and doing so in a way that ensures the soil, water, and atmosphere will remain capable of growing that food for future generations—is more than just a gesture of environmentalism to generate goodwill.
It’s a necessary factor for the survival of the planet and its people, as well as the businesses themselves.
For this issue, Blueprints spoke to consultants, trade associations, and producers about their approaches to sustainability and how they’re putting the planet first while ensuring good business practices in the most fundamental business on Earth.
This is an excerpt from the cover story in the May/June 2023 issue of Produce Blueprints Magazine. Click here to read the whole issue.
