Project

TU-16010 / KV 1605-125 CIS

In this project, WAGENINGEN RESEARCH (Wageningen Economic Research) will develop a solid, fact-based and standardised system to monitor progress on sustainability performance of all agro-products (mainly food and ornamentals) sold in the Netherlands. This system will be based on the globally applicable tools developed by The Sustainability Consortium (TSC). The system will be developed and tested in cooperation with a large group of participating companies under the umbrella of the Alliantie Verduurzaming Voedsel (AVV), GroentenFruit Huis and FloraHolland.

Participating companies will gain insight in the current sustainability performance and the system enables them to prioritize the most relevant sustainability issues and improvement opportunities. By sharing these insights with supply chain partners, companies have a sound basis for discussing the development towards more sustainably produced products. The goal of project partners is not only to start a dialogue, but also to stimulate continuous improvement of sustainability in the coming years and beyond. Improving the sustainability of agro-products isone of the major global challenges of this era. Demand for these products isincreasing due to growing global population and shifting consumption patterns,but current production methods are still resulting in negative impacts, from anenvironmental as well as a social perspective (including fair trade and animalwelfare issues).

To reduce these impacts, agricultural production needsinnovations in sustainability. Innovations will be stimulated when organisationsat the end of the supply chain, such as the retail, catering, and hospitalitysector organisations, and also food processors, are able to create a strongpull for sustainably produced products. To do so, these organisations mustintegrate sustainability into their purchasing policies. Those responsible forpurchasing policies are generally challenged with many questions aboutsustainability.

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