The Eckes-Granini Group, the international corporate group specialized in non-alcoholic fruit beverages under the umbrella of Eckes AG, is now stepping up its commitment to sustainability. Sidney Coffeng, Senior Vice President and CFO, Finance, IT, Procurement, Merger & Acquisitions, and Dr Karl Neuhäuser, Director Quality & Sustainability, handed the signed “Sustainable Juice Covenant” to David Black from IDH, The Sustainable Trade Initiative. As a party to the agreement, Eckes-Granini joins other international beverage producers and suppliers in committing itself to increase the relative share of sustainable juices and smoothies continuously with the goal of reaching 100% by 2030.
The Sustainable Juice Covenant (SJC) is a global initiative devoted to sustainability in procurement, production and marketing of fruit and vegetables juices, purees and concentrates. With the support of the European Fruit Juice Association AIJN, the participating organizations strive for continuous optimization and regular certification of their delivery chains. They also initiate and promote projects concerned with social and environmental sustainability issues, such as the involvement of small farmers, their working conditions, the use of fertilizers and pesticides, soil preservation and climate protection. The SJC is coordinated by IDH, The Sustainable Trade Initiative based in Utrecht, the Netherlands.
“Sustainability is a fixed component of our strategy, which is why we have defined concrete goals for sustainability in the areas of products, supply chain and people,” Coffeng explains. “With our commitment to the Sustainable Juice Covenant we are now expanding our effective reach into the field of fruit cultivation as well.” Eckes-Granini has been reporting on progress in the area of sustainability regularly and systematically since 2014. A team composed of members from different departments is tasked with ensuring that the majority of projects are promoted and realized not only in Germany, but by all national subsidiaries as well.
“We are proud that Eckes-Granini, a significant player in the European juice sector and a leader in sustainability, has joined our initiative,” said David Black from IDH. “With its commitment, the Eckes-Granini Group underscores the significance of this valuable sector platform and emphasizes the importance of the production of socially and environmentally sustainable fruits.”