Joint targets on 3 programs scale sustainable impact
The SIFAV Sustainability Programs
Environmental
Measure and reduce the product environmental footprint with a focus on carbon, water, and food loss and waste.
Social
Positive impact on salient issues in working conditions and living wages, focusing on decent and equal wages.
Due Diligence
The foundational building block of SIFAV 2025, aimed at accelerating transparency through reporting and continuous improvement in both environmental and social topics.
Basket of water standards
Environmental Program
The main objective of the environmental program is to measure and reduce the environmental footprint of fruit and vegetables with a focus on carbon, water and food loss and waste.
1. Carbon footprint: Reduce carbon footprint by 25% for 3 priority products by 2025
2. Food loss & waste: Reduce food loss & waste by 25% for three priority products by 2025
SIFAV partners use the EFT to measure and reduce their food loss and waste. Next to this, SIFAV is also teaming up with Wageningen University and Research in the project ‘Kennis op Maat’ (Tailored Knowledge). This 2-year project aims to develop an accessible toolbox with instruments, knowledge and insights to help reduce food loss in international food chains.
3. Water: Good water management standards implemented for at least ７0% of sourced volumes coming from high water risk regions by 2025
All SIFAV partners commit to implementing approved good water management standards for at least 70% of volumes coming from high-water-risk regions by 2025. To reach this target, SIFAV has developed the Basket of Water Standards as well as a list of regions that are considered high water risk regions.
4. Water: Benchmark water efficiency levels in three priority catchment areas
The second water-specific target is the realization of a benchmark of the water efficiency levels in three priority catchment areas: Ica (Peru), Southern Spain, and South Africa (regions to be defined). This benchmark will be realized through third-party verification. Moreover, SIFAV partners will develop projects on the ground in these catchment areas to reduce water use to best practice levels.
Due Diligence Program
Entailing both environmental and social risks, due diligence is the foundational building block of the SIFAV 2025 strategy.
1. All SIFAV partners publish a due diligence report, starting 2023
2. SIFAV is offering its partners various kinds of support linked to the different steps of the OECD due diligence cycle
Amongst other things, all SIFAV partners have access to training on due diligence and the Sustainability Risk Assessment tool (SRA tool), an online platform that helps companies assess environmental, social and governance risks in their supply chain and set priorities.
Basket of social standards
Social Program
Ensuring decent labour conditions for workers in producing countries is one of the focus areas of the SIFAV 2025 social program.
1. Working Conditions: Implementation of jointly approved social third-party verification, to at least 90% of volume coming from high- and medium-risk countries by 2025.
Ensuring decent labour conditions for workers in producing countries is one of the focus areas of the SIFAV 2025 social program. The implementation of social standards through third-party verification is a way to check, report and further improve working conditions at producing level. The SIFAV partners have committed to jointly implement approved social standards to at least 90% of volumes coming from high and medium risk countries by 2025. To reach this target, SIFAV has developed three Baskets of Social Standards (one for medium- risk countries, one for high-risk countries and one for smallholders) as well as a high-and medium-risk country.
2. Living wage: Set up living wage commitment or living wage project for one product by 2025
Within SIFAV, all partners commit to either set a living wage commitment or to implement a living wage project for one product in their portfolio. This means that they commit to calculate the living wage gap for one product in a specific sourcing country and to analyse and implement pathways to reduce the potential living wage gap. To do this, SIFAV partners are invited and supported to follow the IDH Roadmap on Living Wages, a clear stepwise approach companies can follow to achieve living wages in their supply chains.