A Webinar Recap From 2021’s Sustainable Produce Summit
The certification field is evolving beyond feel-good messaging, as revealed in highlights from a panel session of the 2021 Sustainable Produce Summit.
The session featured a general discussion of the marketing value of third-party certifications and two case studies:
- Longo’s partnership with banana importer, Equifruit, to roll out a network-wide banana program exclusively featuring bananas certified by Fairtrade International.
- The partnership of Robinson Fresh, a division of C.H. Robinson, one of the world’s largest logistics platforms, with Fair Trade USA. Robinson Fresh offers a number of Fair Trade Certified products, including watermelons and limes.
Panelists from across the fresh produce supply chain included representatives from certifying organizations, retailers and suppliers.
Key Takeaways
- Certifications can bring trust to retail buyers and consumers.
- Top-level company buy-in and long-term commitment is important for success when partnering with a certifying organization.
- Working with a certifying organization as a part of sustainability efforts is a different way of doing business, not a quick change or adjustment.
- There is no single harmonized set of standards that will be right for every company. Choose a certifier that best suits desired company culture and business goals.
Marketing Value That Reaches Beyond Messaging
While storytelling is an important part of consumer education, the marketing opportunities available to fresh produce companies through a partnership with a certifying organization today go beyond telling their sustainability stories to an audience of consumers.
Certifications also add value to fresh produce companies by helping meet the sustainability requirements of their most important customers and strengthening relationships with buyers. Furthermore, the right certifying partnership can actually improve business performance and provide structure and tools to confront industry challenges like a severe labor shortage and extreme weather events.
“We, as certifications, want to be a part of the solution. We want to reduce the audit burden and do more than just complete a checklist to get a label on a product. We want to actually make a difference to workers on the ground by improving the way workers and managers relate and the way that worker voice and agency are brought to the forefront.”
– Peter O’Driscoll, Executive Director for Equitable Food Initiative
Certifications Put Company Values on Display and Into Action
In the cases of both partnerships featured in the panel, company values directed the choice to invest in a certifying program. Alignment of company sustainability pillars to each certifying program helped guide choice of certifier.
Consumers are seeking insight about the products they purchase, and the certifying label communicates the values behind retailer or supplier sustainability efforts. Certification guidelines ensure suppliers and retailers have an eye on the impact-producing actions they aspire to make.
“When trying to make a decision about how sensitive making the change to exclusive Fairtrade-certified bananas is and how our guests are going to respond, we looked at our company’s three pillars and there is complete alignment, so there is no reason for us not to do it. It was the right thing to do.”
– Mimmo Franzone, Senior Director of Produce, Floral and Merchandising Services for Longo’s
When a certification is aligned with company values, the certifying standards provide a road map for putting company values into action.
Top-level buy-in and long-term commitment to a sustainability certification ensure that decisions at every point are made with the company values and certification standards in mind.
Certifications Include Consumers in the Effort to Generate a Positive Impact
Importance to consumers can be a significant reason to pursue a certification as a method of making a positive impact in the supply chain.
A study by Fair Trade USA found that one in three consumers rank sustainability as a top three purchasing criteria and that consumers spend a combined 300 billion dollars per year on ethical products, a figure that is growing by 10% year over year.
According to Rob Lynch, Director of Strategic Accounts for C.H. Robinson, the success of the partnership with a third-party certification rests on consumer purchasing choice, as with C.H. Robinson’s business brand, Robinson Fresh. “This is something that starts with the farm and pushes up through the supply chain, activated by consumer purchases to make the program work,” he said.
“We realized consumers care about the impact. Today’s marketplace is now trending toward authenticity, well-being, sustainability and social purpose and consumers seek low touch ways to live out these values.”
– Rob Lynch, Director Strategic Accounts for C.H. Robinson
A well-known label, or a label with clear consumer education messaging, can provide assurance of transparency to consumers and help answer their questions about how shopping choices can make a difference for workers at the beginning of the supply chain.
For example, bananas are a sensitive commodity in the produce and retail world, but Longo’s management teams knew that if consumers challenged the higher price of the Fairtrade-certified bananas, they could have confidence pointing to the transparent policies and standards of the Fairtrade International system.
Certifications Provide Validation to Retailers Seeking Assurance of Sustainability
According to Anabella de Freeman, Walmart’s Senior Manager of Sustainability Strategic Initiatives Produce, the Walmart sourcing teams are seeking to procure products and ingredient lines that support its ambitions to become a regenerative company dedicated to placing nature and humanity at the center of the business. In some instances, credible third-party certifications help Walmart validate that products meet a more sustainable standard, especially for supply chains that are very complex.
“Certifications can help suppliers focus on practices that improve sustainability and provide third-party validation that the standards have been met. Certifications allow suppliers to better tell their sustainability story to their stakeholders.”
– Anabella de Freeman, Senior Manager of Sustainability Strategic Initiatives Produce for Walmart
Putting the Right Boots on the Ground to Tell Your Company’s Story
Choosing the right certification is like finding the right pair of boots for the upward climb toward a company’s sustainability goals. A good fit is important for longevity, and the right features can boost confidence in the ability to see the journey through safely and efficiently.
Certifications are not one size fits all. There is no single simple, harmonized set of standards that will be right for every company. As more industry benchmarking collaborations like GFSI and the SSCI arise, suppliers can expect to see their options expand.
Start your sustainability journey by exploring your options to find the best fit for your story, the needs of your most important customers and the added-value offerings that provide return on your investment for your organization.
Find out more about how investing in Equitable Food Initiative certification can distinguish your brand and add value to your organization.
