Company outlines initiatives and targets to measure its sustainability performance and initiatives to respond to climate change

Seeka avocado

New Zealand fresh produce group Seeka has released its first comprehensive sustainability report.

The company’s Sustainability Report 2022 focuses on establishing the base methodology for sustainability reporting including three years of independently verified carbon footprint calculations.

According to Seeka, the report outlines the initiatives and targets that it is putting in place to measure its sustainability performance and its initiatives to respond to climate change.

Seeka has established a goal of being net zero carbon by 2050 through initiatives including waste reduction, regenerative orchard practices, being an employer of choice and supporting the wellbeing of local communities.

Chief executive Michael Franks outlined that the report was a ”significant step forward for the company”, establishing Seeka as a socially and environmentally responsible company in each of the regions.

Seeka has committed to reducing its verified carbon footprint by 30 per cent by 2025 and 50 per cent by 2030.

Following the plan, the company has established the target of being net zero carbon by 2050.

In addition to reporting absolute carbon results, Seeka is benchmarking intensity-based performance indicators to capture efficiency gains as the business grows.

“We operate in fast-growing industries, and we intend to continue expanding through a planned increase in New Zealand kiwifruit crops,” said Franks.

“We are measuring the carbon impact of fruit handled by Seeka, which at 50.7 tonnes of C02e per 100,000 class 1 trays packed is trending down over the past three years, demonstrating early gains from our carbon reduction initiatives.”

Click here for the full sustainability report