SVZ pledges 100 percent sustainable sourcing by 2030

09 Nov 2017 --- Netherlands-based fruit and vegetable ingredients supplier, SVZ, has announced its commitment to 100 percent sustainable sourcing by 2030 by signing the Sustainable Juice Covenant. SVZ has vowed to keep strengthening its sustainability credentials, reaching 75 percent sustainable sourcing by 2025 before the ultimate goal of 100 percent by 2030. This is the company's 150th anniversary year. 

The Sustainable Juice Covenant is a global initiative, coordinated by IDH, the Sustainable Trade Initiative, and supported by AIJN, the European Fruit Juice Association. It aims to make the sourcing, production and trade of fruit and vegetable-derived juices, purees and concentrates completely sustainable by 2030. 

Sustainable sourcing is vital to protecting the planet and ensuring a brighter world for future generations. 

“By signing this covenant we have formalized our continuous commitment to making a positive contribution to sustainable production,” says Jobien Laurijssen, Sustainability Manager at SVZ.

“This is a true milestone in our sustainability efforts. In order to achieve the formal targets outlined, we have already invested heavily in additional resources within our sustainability and agronomy teams.”

“However, this is not something we can do alone and driving sustainability through the whole supply chain needs collaboration. Through this commitment, we aim to support our customers in their sustainability targets while also creating stability for our growers and setting up long-term projects that can make a real difference.”

Anouk ter Laak, SVZ CEO, adds how sustainability has been at the core of the business for many years. 

“For years we have built our practices on three pillars: sustainable sourcing and agriculture, environmental sustainability and valuing people. We are very proud of the work we have done so far, which has been made possible due to our stringent supply chain control and a team of agronomy and sustainability experts.” 

“As outlined in the Sustainable Juice Covenant, all of our ingredients – for customers in juice and beyond – will be sustainably sourced by 2030 as we take the next step in our work towards a greener future.”

Prior to this, SVZ’s sustainability initiatives have included investing in a training program that has promoted best practice among over 3,000 farmers and water management initiatives. SVZ is also an active member of both the SAI Platform and Sedex and has achieved a gold EcoVadis ranking.

FoodIngredientsFirst caught up with Dejan Trifunovic of SVZ at Anuga 2017. You can view the video interview here.