11 tips to go green in the fresh fruit and vegetables sector

Concerns about water resources, deforestation and supply chain transparency are increasing in the fresh fruit and vegetables (FFV) sector. These concerns affect the purchasing decisions of consumers in Europe, as well as the sourcing policies of importers and other actors in the supply chain.

There are many ways the sector can become more environmentally friendly. This also benefits the farmers. Many farmers experience smaller harvests because of poorer soil quality. Employing more sustainable farming practices can improve the soil and lead to better harvests. Read more to find out what the opportunities are and how you can implement them to benefit the planet and your business.

1. Understand why going green is important

The FFV sector plays a crucial role in feeding the global population. However, like any industry, it also has an impact on the environment. As a farmer of fresh fruit and vegetables, you have the power to have a positive impact on the environment by implementing sustainable practices.

Global food system emissions account for 5.8 GtCO2e, equating to 30% of the world’s GHG emissions. Products of animal origin, like meat, dairy and animal feed, make up a large part of these emissions but fruit and vegetable crops contribute too.

The planet needs it

The fresh fruit and vegetable sector has a significant environmental impact. Becoming more sustainable can help reduce this impact and preserve natural resources for future generations.

There is growing evidence that climate change will affect the production of fresh fruit and vegetables. These changes have consequences for fresh produce supply chains, due to its relatively short shelf-life, high-quality requirements and seasonality of supply.

The people need it

As the global population grows, there are concerns about the world’s ability to meet future demand for food. A more sustainable fresh fruit and vegetable sector could help ensure food security by preserving natural resources and supporting sustainable farming practices.

Fresh fruit and vegetables are essential components of a healthy and balanced diet. However, many conventional farming practices, such as the use of pesticides and fertilisers, can negatively affect human health. A more sustainable fresh fruit and vegetable sector could help ensure that these foods are grown in ways that are safe, healthy and nutritious.

Buyers and consumers increasingly require it

European consumers increasingly opt for organic and locally produced products. Some also avoid produce transported by air.

Supermarket chains are increasing their organic assortment and requiring importers and exporters to provide certification that demonstrates sustainability practices.

2. Find the key issues in your supply chain

Every step of the fresh fruit and vegetables value chain has a carbon footprint. This includes the production, post-harvest processing, packaging and transportation stages. The impact of every step will depend on the product, production location, destination market and transportation methods used.

Tomatoes grown in heated greenhouses have higher emissions than tomatoes grown outdoors. On the other hand, if the tomatoes grown outdoors are sent to their market destination by plane, this will cause further greenhouse emissions.

While you may not be able to influence every part of the value chain, you can control your impact in key areas such as inputs, primary production, shipping and packaging.

Figure 1: Sustainability impacts along the fresh fruit and vegetables supply chain (not exhaustive)

Source: Rabobank 2020

Transport and fertilisers are the biggest polluting factors

While research findings differ greatly, experts believe that carbon emissions from transporting food are about 6% of the global total, with fruit and vegetables being the largest contributor. Fruit and vegetables have the highest food miles emissions because they often need to be refrigerated, and consumers demand out-of-season food.

Packaging and food waste are also polluting factors in the supply chain, as is the use of energy.

Then there are factors that are not necessarily polluting but disruptive to the environment, like water management, deforestation and soil depletion.

3. Optimise your transport, logistics and packaging

Reducing transportation emissions is critical for reducing the environmental impact of the fresh fruit and vegetable sector. European buyers and supermarkets are also increasingly avoiding airfreight. As an exporter, you have to make conscious logistical choices.

In terms of transport and logistics, you can:

• Use more fuel-efficient vehicles;
• Consolidate shipments;
• Optimise routes;
• Find ways to use efficient sea freight logistics;
• Use ways to keep fruit and vegetables fresh (like innovative packaging);
• Choose varieties that allow international shipping by sea;
• Optimise your packaging for energy-efficient transport; and
• Follow your buyer’s advice and needs

The energy used to pack the produce and the emissions produced by producing the packaging are important too. Using packaging material with lower emissions can help improve the balance of the supply chain.

Switching to more sustainable ways of packaging can be a risk because it is often more expensive than traditional packaging, but it can also be an opportunity. Many buyers appreciate more sustainable packaging.

Figure 2: Example of sustainable packaging

Source: Globally Cool

This is what can you do in terms of packaging:

• Use packaging material with a low carbon footprint like cardboard instead of plastic.
• Search for innovative packaging methods. Visit packaging industry events to stay on top of trends and innovations in packaging.
• Try sourcing your packaging materials from local companies to reduce the transportation-related emissions.
   

4. Using sustainable farming practices

According to industry experts, the biggest wins can be achieved by investing in sustainability practises in the primary production process.

Sustainable farming refers to using resources, including land, fertile soil and wildlife, in a way that allows for renewal without depleting or polluting other resources. 2 key sustainable farming methods are organic farming and regenerative agriculture.

Implementing regenerative agricultural practices like inter-cropping (growing 2 or more crops in the same field), reducing or stopping tillage, crop rotation and precision agriculture (reducing chemical and biological input) improves soil health, fostering high productivity of high-quality food, and contributes to mitigating climate change and restoring biodiversity.

Organic agricultural practices can reduce the environmental impact of farming. These can include avoiding synthetic pesticides, crop rotation, composting and natural pest control. Additionally, using renewable energy sources to power irrigation and farm equipment can help reduce the carbon footprint of farming operations.

What can you do:

• Try to use green and organic input;
• Try sourcing your agricultural input from local companies to reduce transport-related emissions;
• Pay attention to measuring input and storing it properly to reduce waste and overapplication;
• Use technology that helps you optimise the use of input and reduce emissions and costs. For example, you can use satellite data to make decisions about fertiliser application;
• Reduce your carbon footprint with renewable energy sources and low-emission/energy-efficient machinery;
• Optimise moving machinery across the farm to reduce energy use;
• Reduce soil disturbance like tillage. This might work differently depending on the type of crop and weed pressure, so you might want to start experimenting with the low-tillage variants;
• Educate yourself on the use of fertiliser. For example, you can read reports on reducing emissions from fertiliser use.

Water management

Agriculture is a major water user, and inefficient water use can put pressure on limited water resources. Good water management can help increase crop yields and profitability while also protecting natural resources. Good practices include drip irrigation, which delivers water directly to the plant roots, rainwater collection, diverting surplus water from fields and using natural stream beds to control water flow.

Reducing food waste

A significant amount of fruit and vegetables go to waste due to factors such as spoilage, damage during transport and cosmetic imperfections. By implementing better inventory management and storage practices, as well as improved packaging and transport methods, food waste can be minimised, thereby reducing environmental impact.

Avoid deforestation

Deforestation is a major driver of biodiversity loss, soil erosion, reduction of carbon sequestration and ultimately climate change. Companies should avoid clearing forest land for farming.

5. Optimise your soil quality

Soil optimisation is important in organic farming because healthy soil is essential for healthy plants. Organic farming relies on natural methods for fertilisation and pest control. The soil plays a critical role in providing nutrients and supporting plant growth. When soil quality is optimised, it is rich in organic matter, has a healthy balance of nutrients and is able to retain moisture.

Optimising soil in organic farming typically involves practices like crop rotation, cover cropping and using organic fertilisers and soil amendments. These practices help to maintain soil health, improve soil structure and promote the growth of beneficial microorganisms in the soil. By optimising soil, organic farmers can produce high-quality crops that are healthy and nutritious whilst also maintaining the long-term health of the soil and the environment.

In contrast, conventional farming often relies heavily on chemical fertilisers and pesticides that can degrade soil quality over time. Organic farming and soil optimisation are important for sustainable agriculture, which aims to support the long-term health of the environment, the soil and the people who rely on it.

Adopting regenerative agriculture practices is 1 way to optimise your soil quality. Regenerative agriculture is an outcome-based food production system that nurtures and restores soil health, protects the climate and water resources and biodiversity and enhances farms’ productivity and profitability.

Tips:

• Organic Africa has some interesting sources, like this poster on how to prepare organic compost. They are also working on a poster about how to prepare liquid fertiliser. Keep an eye on their website to find out when it will be published. Read the many online examples about crop rotation for fresh fruit and vegetables, like this one about crop rotation for melons, this one about crop rotation for vegetables or worksheets on organic soil amendments and fertilisers.
• Learn from the many online resources about regenerative agriculture for fruit production, regenerative agriculture for vegetable growers and similar articles that share the experiences of farmers who switched to regenerative agricultural practises.

6. Become a certified fresh producer

1 step in becoming a greener fresh producer is getting green certification. Complying with sustainable, green standards has become common for all fresh fruit and vegetables.

Becoming a green certified producer is a good idea because:

• It shows your commitment to environmentally responsible farming practices. This gives you a competitive advantage over growers that do not have this certification.
• Certification bodies take you through step-by-step processes. It is very likely that they will address issues that you have not thought of yourself.
• Certification can improve access to markets that prioritise sustainability, including retailers, food processors and exporters.

Organic

If you want to sell your products as organic in Europe, they must be grown using organic production methods that meet the European legislation. Growing and processing facilities must be audited by an accredited certifier. You can only put the European Union’s organic logo on your products after receiving certification. The same counts for logos (if you are applying for those as well), for example, of the Soil Association in the United Kingdom or Naturland in Germany.

Importing organic products to Europe is only possible with an electronic certificate of inspection (e‑COI). Each batch of organic products imported into the EU has to be accompanied by an electronic certificate.

GlobalG.A.P.

GlobalG.A.P. is third-party certification and is the standard for good agricultural practices. It has become a non-negotiable requirement for imported fresh produce sold in supermarket chains in Europe.

Other common certifications for FFV products are BRCGS, IFS and similar HACCP-based food safety management systems for packing and processing facilities. Using management systems recognised by the Global Food Safety Initiative (GFSI) is highly recommended.

Retailer standards

Retailers can also impose individual sets of standards, like Tesco Nurture. Larger retail chains in Northern Europe in particular will be more prepared to buy your product if your compliance with their social and sustainability standards is in order.

2 examples of companies from Latin America that have very strong sustainability policies are Danper and Uniban.

Seek support, for example from SIFAV

SIFAV is an international multistakeholder platform where public and private parties commit to sustainability targets for 2025. To accelerate the progress towards achieving these targets, they have a budget for trying out new ideas through various projects, such as their project to reduce environmental impact. SIFAV is a gathering of different companies, both physical and online, that exchange their experiences and learn from each other.

Their environmental programme focusses on 3 pillars of environmental sustainability for the fruit and vegetables sector: carbon footprint, water management, and food loss and waste reduction.

Tips:

• Familiarise yourself with the organic guidelines and organic farming in Europe before getting into the organic trade.
• Remember that certifications are not free. The costs for certification are charged to the producer (you).
• Get the most out of your certification. Certification programmes that promote sustainable agriculture, such as Fairtrade or Rainforest Alliance, can provide access to markets and buyers interested in sustainably produced goods.
• For more information on certification of specific fresh produce, refer to the specific documents (for example about mango, tropical fruit and avocado) on the CBI’s market information page.