Consumers are becoming ever more conscious about what they eat – and its environmental and social provenance. But many fresh fruit and vegetable farmers lack the commercial knowledge and the financial means to ensure sufficient yields to satisfy our appetites for sustainable produce.
In 2012, together with 13 Dutch retailers and traders, we launched the Sustainability Initiative Fruit and Vegetables (SIFAV) – now a pan-European initiative with over 40 partners, including retailers, brands, traders and civil society organisations from Belgium, Denmark, Germany, Sweden, Switzerland and the UK.
All partners have committed to the ambition of 100% sustainable procurement of fruit and vegetables from Africa, Asia and South America – working together to provide solutions on smallholder farmer livelihoods, working conditions, agrochemical use and climate change issues.
Together with our partners, we’re working to develop sustainable business models, create positive on-the-ground impact and improve sector governance in key fruit- and vegetable-producing countries.
“With this updated basket of standards, SIFAV takes the social compliance approach to the next level, providing a clear direction on how to verify the position of workers in our fresh supply chains. This will increase transparency and will contribute to better understanding potential issues.”
Beyond simply monitoring sourcing practices, we facilitate the exchange of ideas and learnings among partners and stimulate the implementation of pilot projects at farm level.
A membership-based initiative that aims to actively contribute to more sustainable fresh fruit and vegetable supply chains globally.
Commitment of Dutch, Belgian, German, and UK retailers to reduce gaps and work towards living wages for workers in the banana sector.
