Juice covenant getting more robust with new members

SVZ and Firmenich join forces with the Sustainable Juice Covenant.

Since the launch of the Sustainable Juice Covenant in March this year, more partners have teamed up to increase the supply chain coverage in the juice industry. At the AIJN Juice Summit in Antwerp this month, the latest two, SVZ and Firmenich, committed themselves to the goal of 100% sustainable juice and puree by 2030.

SVZ is a producer and supplier for fruit and vegetable ingredients for leading food companies, and Firmenich is the world’s largest flavor company. They are joining forces with leading European beverage and food companies to commit to creating 100% sustainable juice and puree by 2030.

Under the coordination of IDH, Firmenich, Döhler, FrieslandCampina Riedel, Refresco and Verbruggen Juice Trading Sustainable Products b.v., have agreed to target 100% verified sustainable sourcing for their juices within the next decade. With the support of AIJN, the European Fruit Juice Association, the coalition will work on the certification/verification of their supply chains, and jointly set up projects to address specific sustainability issues such as smallholder inclusion, working conditions, soil erosion and degradation, and climate resilience.

“Firmenich has a 122-year heritage of leading its business responsibly. That’s why we are committed to running the most ethical, traceable and sustainable value chain,” said Gilbert Ghostine, CEO Firmenich. “We are very proud to be the first in our industry to sign this covenant, underlining our commitment to advancing sustainability across our supply chain, while enhancing the livelihoods of the local farmers that produce citrus fruits.”

“Consumers across Europe want sustainable juice, with transparency on where the fruit comes from and how juices are made,” said Tony Bruggink, Program Director IDH and Chairman of the Sustainable Juice Covenant. “To make this happen sustainably, collective action is key. That’s why we are proud to be working with front-running juice companies and flavour-houses.”

Anouk ter Laak, CEO SVZ, comments: “We’re very pleased to sign the covenant, as sustainability is an integral part of our activities, we believe it is absolutely key to the long-term strategy of our business. Our commitment to source 100% sustainable, strongly underlines SVZ role in the supply chain to ensure transparency for our customers and to support our growers in practicing sustainable agriculture. Our initiatives to date have proved successful, including farmer training program in Poland and sustainable water management projects in Spain and we will continue to drive sustainable supply chains in the future.”

In 2015, 9.6 billion litres of fruit juice and nectar was consumed in the EU and 38.5 litres globally. The EU remains the largest juice-consuming region, followed by North America.

Next steps for the coalition are to put annual process monitoring in place, start pre-competitive projects in the field and to develop an activity plan for the first year. The partners are also seeking to inspire more liked-minded companies to join the covenant and work together towards a more sustainable supply chain. The covenant is open to all players in the supply chain.