Benefits to businesses that employ sustainable practices go beyond consumer satisfaction and retail synergy.
Nikki Cossio, CEO of Measure to Improve, LLC in Salinas, CA, explains how they can give companies a competitive edge: “Sustainability often delivers cost savings, marketability, and increased employee retention, and attracts new talent.”
Our experts all agree that for sustainability efforts to be effective and not just seen as greenwashing or public relations gestures, they must be backed up by evidence.
“Most national buyers expect their suppliers to have some level of sustainability built into their operations,” says Lance Jungmeyer, president of the Fresh Produce Association of the Americas {{BB #:144354}} in Nogales, AZ. “To the degree you can communicate how sustainable your company is and your supply chain partners are, you need to have a visible strategy that’s verifiable.”
Ben Johnson, president of Bridges Produce, Inc. BB #:168499 of Portland, OR, also warns against greenwashing. He notes that sustainability, if treated as a strategic planning initiative and not just a marketing opportunity, will produce real-world bottom-line benefits and not just good feelings.
“Every farm and business must invest in things that provide resilience and health as the key to sustainability,” he urges.
“Investing in soil fertility reduces the cost of fertilizer and provides better water retention. Driving waste out of the system provides more revenue, whether it’s waste from excess packaging, inefficient transportation, or food spoilage.
“All these factors are sustainable because they’re easier on the environment, but they’re also fundamentally good long-term business practices.”
The flipside of this, Johnson observes, is consumers have become very sensitive to and cynical about greenwashing, and companies making bold claims that aren’t backed up by best practices will seriously diminish their brand equity.
Building the Infrastructure
The physical practice of sustainability, to be scalable and replicable, requires an information infrastructure to back it up.
“Some of the most important sustainability efforts across the industry have been data collection and analysis,” says Garland Perkins, senior manager of innovation and sustainability for David Oppenheimer & Associates, or Oppy, BB #:116424 headquartered in Vancouver, BC.
“Not too many years ago, sustainability efforts were often vague and varied greatly from business to business. Now, the common areas of focus—carbon emissions, renewable energy, etc.—are much clearer.
“The industry has noticeably advanced in terms of how to quantify the impact of sustainability efforts and what to aim for in the years ahead,” she continues, but adds the caveat that the journey forward is still a long one.
Tracy Shinners-Carnelley, vice president of research, quality, and sustainability for Peak of the Market Ltd. {{BB #:385653}} in Winnipeg, MB, agrees with this assessment, pointing to the Potato Sustainability Alliance, an association of supply chain stakeholders from growers to buyers.
“One of the biggest current issues is how to efficiently respond to requests to report environmental performance throughout the supply chain using metrics,” she explains.
“It’s important for these companies to define what sustainability means to them. Once that’s been done and priorities have been identified, those priorities, and the ways to measure them, can be considered as part of their strategic and marketing efforts.”
She predicts continued advancement and innovation will buoy sustainability initiatives through production practices, improved varieties, and more responsible packaging materials.
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.
