As you most likely already know, at SVZ we‘re captivated with sustainability – and unsurprisingly, so is our Sustainability Supervisor, Silvi Navarrete! We meet up with Silvi to speak about her imaginative and prescient for a extra accountable future, together with her plans for overcoming meals trade challenges and serving to construct a extra eco-friendly agri-food sector. Go forward, Silvi!
1. Are you able to inform us a bit about your skilled background, and why you may have chosen to pursue a profession within the F&B sector/sustainable growth space?
I’ve all the time been captivated with agriculture, particularly as a result of I’m from Colombia – a so-called ‘espresso nation’. We’re a rustic that’s depending on farming, and we take pleasure within the high quality and provenance of our elements. This curiosity took me to the Netherlands, the place I studied agriculture and fell in love with the topic! Beginning my profession in a non-profit firm, the place I labored carefully with startups within the agri-food sector, was an effective way to hone my abilities and become involved in revolutionary initiatives. I then moved to the company aspect, the place I labored as a sustainability supervisor within the espresso trade – and the remaining is historical past!
The meals trade is so attention-grabbing to me: we eat thrice a day (typically extra!) and we don’t all the time cease to suppose, the place is that this meals coming from? Sustainability has turn out to be my ardour on a private {and professional} degree, and I’m dedicated to bettering our agricultural processes to make them extra environment friendly and local weather constructive. It’s why I like my new function: contributing to decreasing greenhouse fuel emissions by evolving the best way we supply scrumptious fruit and vegetable elements.
2. What are your priorities as Sustainability Supervisor at SVZ?
SVZ already has robust sustainability values, which is what first drew me to the corporate. My precedence is to construct on the initiatives already in place and produce every thing collectively in a structured manner. And maybe most significantly, unfold the phrase concerning the good work we’re doing in fruit and vegetable ingredient manufacturing! All of it begins from inside the corporate, so we just lately launched our Sustainability Passport: a collation of all our present initiatives that everybody can entry shortly and simply. With every thing in a single place, we will higher talk our values additionally to the exterior stakeholders and ensure we’re all on the identical web page.
We’re additionally going to start out taking a extra quantitative method to our sustainability efforts, utilizing information and key efficiency indicators (KPIs) to construct a greater image of the place we’re – and crucially, the place we need to be. The result’s having extra information out there, on every thing from water consumption to greenhouse fuel emissions, to assist us make higher enterprise selections for our community of growers.
3. How would you describe the present state of sustainability throughout the agri-food provide chain?
Sustainability reporting has been required of enormous, public entities beforehand, however whereas there have been quite a few reporting frameworks through the years – such because the World Reporting Initiative (‘GRI’),
The Carbon Disclosure Mission (‘CDP’) and Sustainability Accounting Requirements Board (‘SASB’) – the trade was nonetheless missing a consolidated set of pointers. Now with the European Union’s new Company Sustainability Reporting Directive (‘CSRD’) laws in place, greater than 50,000 corporations should report on set metrics and measurements, inside a standard reporting framework. This makes it simpler to gather and evaluate info, all of the whereas decreasing the potential for ‘greenwashing’.
The brand new regulation is a good begin, however its implementation stays slightly imprecise. Whereas the CSRD itself doesn’t impose a penalty for non-compliance, particular person European member states can select at hand down fines to corporations they consider are dodging the directive. However now corporations have to have their sustainability studies audited by a 3rd get together, it’s a constructive step. Similar to when the ISO requirements first got here into pressure that required manufacturing unit audits, we anticipate this laws to turn out to be the ‘gold normal’ throughout the trade. Watch this area!
4. What are the challenges in producing extra sustainable fruit and vegetable elements?
All of it comes all the way down to what’s occurring firstly of the availability chain: the farm. One of many greatest challenges we face is how we will assist farmers in making the transition to extra sustainable agricultural processes. Firstly, farmers want technical help to assist them do their job in the absolute best manner. Secondly, farmers want assets to transition to extra sustainable farming practices. However this implies altering tools and supplies, which prices cash and requires extra assets. Subsequent, farmers want monetary assets to assist them navigate these typically expensive and dangerous transitions. Lastly, they should see peer-reviewed strategies in motion to encourage and set off change. Typically, farmers hearken to farmers – that’s why our purpose is to start out with small-scale initiatives to show our idea and from there develop to work throughout a wider community.
At SVZ, we have now a workforce of agronomy specialists that work with our associate growers, providing sensible recommendation at each stage of fruit and vegetable cultivation. We organise coaching classes close to to processing websites, the place we convey farmers collectively to share experiences. These occasions are fashionable, bringing a way of neighborhood, as they’ll focus on what’s engaged on their farms – and the place they want further help. We’re additionally rolling out small-scale pilot programmes to offer assets and monetary assist to farmers.
5. Trying forward: what are your objectives and aspirations for SVZ’s sustainability programme over the approaching years?
On a private degree, I’m eager to boost better consciousness of our sustainability initiatives internally, which can hopefully translate into actions. I’d prefer to decentralise sustainability, in order that it will probably turn out to be embedded throughout the corporate – and hopefully encourage individuals to strive new methods of working in day by day life! Final 12 months, we reached 55% sustainable sourcing in our provide chain – an excellent achievement – and in 2023 we anticipate to succeed in 60-70% with our present certification efforts. However we all the time have our eye on how we will do higher and attain that subsequent milestone. In truth, our primary goal is to extend our proportion of sustainably sourced elements to 100% by 2030.
For extra info on SVZ’s sustainability values, go to: Sustainable fruit and vegetable elements | SVZ.
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