United Fresh Releases Sustainability Guide And Self-Assessment Tool

United Fresh Produce Association recently launched a Sustainability Guide and Self-Assessment Tool to assist producers and partners in developing, assessing, and communicating their sustainability programs. The guide is intended to assist producers in understanding four key areas of sustainability — stewardship of resources, environmental impacts, social accountability, and economic success/viability.

“For fruit and vegetable producers, we believe these four areas define the most important aspects of sustainability in our industry, and reflect areas where management can enhance sustainability and cost control,” said Ray Gilmer, vice president of issues management and communication for United Fresh. “This Sustainability Guide and Self-Assessment can be a valuable tool for virtually any type of company in the produce industry.”

The Sustainability Guide and Self-Assessment also provides a means for producers to share their story about practices and processes that many already incorporate in their operations. By completing their own evaluation of their sustainability programs, producers can develop concrete information that they can use in their own business, or choose to share with others to explain their commitment to sustainable practices.

“United’s Sustainability Guide is not an audit, nor is it meant to become a requirement. Instead, it is a tool that can be used to increase knowledge, track progress, and tell the story of our industry’s commitment to sustainability,” said Gilmer. “The self-assessment process is entirely confidential; you only share your sustainability information if you want to.”

Additionally, the Sustainability Guide and Self-Assessment includes a Companion Metrics Tool that highlights specific outcome measurements that producers can use to track results over time. Together, these two parts provide producers a tracking tool to combine a practice-based analysis of major steps they are taking in enhancing sustainability, with key, outcome-based information.

Most importantly, the guide is intended to be an educational tool for those wanting to know more about what practices enhance sustainability, and to evaluate, record, and track their own practices.

The Sustainability Guide and Self-Assessment was developed by the United Fresh Foundation’s Center for Global Produce Sustainability, with the contributions of the Center’s Sustainability Advisory Board, a group of United Fresh volunteer leaders representing a broad spectrum of the produce industry. The board met over a two-year period to develop the guide to help the entire produce industry supply chain define the key elements of sustainability.

The guide is available in a PDF document that can be downloaded from the United Fresh website at www.UnitedFreshFoundation.org/Sustainability.