Sustainable fruit and vegetable ingredients

Sustainability sits at the very heart of our company, transcending every level of our business. From our community empowerment initiatives to our efficient supply chain management and innovative processing methods that conserve energy, water and air quality – we move mountains to preserve the natural world and offer truly sustainable fruit and vegetable ingredients.

Welcome to c2030

For us, sustainability is more than a buzzword. It’s an essential responsibility we take seriously as sustainable fruit and vegetable ingredients supplier. So seriously, in fact, that we’re committed to empowering the food and beverage industry as a whole to build a healthier, more sustainable future for all.

This is the goal at the heart of the c2030 initiative. A call to action for the whole food and beverage industry to improve its sustainability with tangible actions, c2030 aims to encourage real positive change across the sector – for the benefit of all.

With this programme, we aim to elevate the conversation beyond sustainable fruit and vegetable ingredients. We are committed to driving the industry forward – steering the sector towards a healthier future through a flexible, transparent infrastructure, an ethical approach to production, and a focus on nutritious diets.

It’s only by shifting our own mindset – and the mindsets of our stakeholders – that we can transform our business and implement real positive change across our supply chain. So, we can all grow better together.

Learn more about c2030

Our three pillars

SVZ’s commitment to achieve 100% sustainable sourcing by 2030 underpins the entire business, and our focus is primarily on three core areas: agriculture, operations and people. By ensuring that ethical, environmentally responsible processes are introduced into each of these pillars, we can make a real difference as a sustainable fruit and vegetable ingredients supplier.

Sustainable Agriculture

We pride ourselves on a strong supply chain network that encourages collaboration and communication at every level of the business. This is how we ensure the very highest quality and sustainability standards are implemented – from fields to factories. Through initiatives like farmer training, ecosystem monitoring and constant auditing, we guarantee that all our fruit and vegetable ingredients are the result of responsible processes.

Efficient Operations

All our factories and processing plants are located close to our sourcing areas, ensuring that our sustainable fruit and vegetable ingredients have optimal taste, colour and nutrient retention. It also means we reduce our dependency on transport, while other initiatives focus on minimising waste, as well as our water and energy usage.

Valuing People

At SVZ, we care deeply about people. We believe that everyone should be treated equally and with respect – not only at our own production locations, but also across our supply chain and the communities we operate in. By building strong relationships with our partner farmers, for example, we help improve their farms’ productivity and profitability – to ensure thriving and resilient livelihoods.

Sustainable Initiatives

As we witness the impact of climate change, embracing environmentally responsible practices is no longer a choice but a necessity. We are always eager to work together with our partners and customers to share ideas and create new opportunities for real change.

Compostable mulching paper

Mulching, or the layer of material applied to the soil’s surface to conserve moisture, improve soil health and control weed growth, is a crucial part of sustainable agriculture. However, in Spain mulching paper is traditionally made from plastic – raising concerns about waste. To tackle this issue, SVZ and a value customer launched an initiative to develop an environmentally friendly alternative.

This project explores the effectiveness of a new, 100% biodegradable mulching paper that has been produced specifically for strawberry cultivation. Early reports from the field have revealed that the soil’s biodiversity has being positively impacted be the new mulch, and the farm’s plastic waste has also been drastically reduced.

 Download the infographic
Biological control

As concerns about health and environment increase and global consumers seek for sustainably sourced food and drink products, finding an alternative to chemical sprays and pesticides is a priority. Together with one of our valued customers, SVZ launched a joint initiative to explore biocontrol plants as a viable alternative for farmers.

By adding these plants to the fields to encourage the development of aphid predator populations, the population of ‘bad’ insects can be controlled – not only boosting biodiversity in the fields, but also supporting pesticide-free strawberry cultivation for the future. You can find out more about the initiative here.

 Download the infographic
Knowledge Sharing

As a sustainable fruit and vegetable ingredients supplier, adopting greener processes across our business is only the beginning. Sharing the knowledge we have is also crucial, to inform future generations and ensure that the entire supply chain benefits from environmentally responsible ways of working.

Our annual farmer training sessions are a great tool for us to share sustainable best practices and ensure greener crop production from the very beginning. It’s through knowledge sharing like this that we can embark on new sustainability projects with our partners – exploring initiatives from biological control plants to biodegradable mulching paper.

We also developed, together with a valued customer, a leadership training programme. Run by Emerging Leaders, an NGO that specialises in leadership development – particularly in vulnerable communities across the globe – the training aimed to equip the team at Frutas Esther, one of our partner farming cooperatives, with the tools to maintain an effective and cohesive community where everyone feels valued and appreciated.
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