Ten-year sustainability framework covers environmental targets, gender representation goals and supply chain human rights commitments
Fyffes has launched its Sustainability Strategy 2025-2035, setting out a series of long-term commitments across climate, agriculture, packaging, food loss and waste, human rights and community impact.
This includes a target to achieve gender parity in senior leadership and at least 30 per cent female representation in supervisory roles by 2035 in its own operations.
It builds on Fyffes’ existing sustainability programme and introduces additional targets extending to 2035.
The company says the updated framework reflects evolving stakeholder expectations, regulatory developments and the importance of integrating sustainability considerations into long-term business planning.
Gender equality focus
Under the strategy’s ’Enriching People’s Lives’ pillar, Fyffes said it will build on its existing gender equality programmes by strengthening pathways for women to progress into supervisory and senior leadership positions across its owned operations.
“Agriculture depends on the skills, experience and contribution of people throughout the value chain, yet women remain underrepresented in many leadership and operational roles across the sector,” explained Caoimhe Buckley, chief corporate affairs officer at Fyffes.
”Our new target reflects our commitment to creating greater opportunities for women to progress into supervisory and leadership positions across our business.
”Sustainability is about more than environmental performance,” she outlined. ”It is also about supporting fair and inclusive workplaces, respecting human rights and contributing positively to the communities connected to our supply chain.
”This strategy brings those priorities together within a single framework that will guide our actions through to 2035.”
Alongside its gender representation targets, Fyffes also aims to positively impact wellbeing for 50mn people across its supply chain by 2035 through programmes responding to locally identified needs including health and nutrition, climate resilience, education and gender equality as well as other areas that strengthen community livelihoods.
The company has also committed to maintaining zero fatalities and reducing workplace injury rates by 20 per cent by 2030 across all owned operations.
The strategy will ensure that 100 per cent of Fyffes-owned farms and high-risk suppliers are covered by independent human rights and environmental impact assessments by 2028, supported by time-bound action plans where risks are identified.
Environmental targets
In addition to its social commitments, the strategy sets out several environmental targets.
Fyffes has submitted targets to reduce absolute greenhouse gas emissions across its operations and supply chain in line with a 1.5°C pathway to the Science Based Targets initiative.
Other targets include expanding regenerative agriculture practices across 13,000ha (owned and growers) of banana and pineapple production by 2035; reducing plastic packaging by 40 per cent and overall single-use packaging materials by 10 per cent by 2030; and reducing food loss across the banana and pineapple supply chain (owned and growers) by 70,000 tonnes by 2035 while continuing to maximise the repurposing of unavoidable surplus fruit.
The company stated that the new strategy builds on progress made under its previous sustainability framework, through which it has reported achievements including providing more than 36mn healthy meals to vulnerable communities, educating more than 3mn people on healthy eating and food waste reduction, reducing its Scope 1 and 2 GHG emissions intensity by 46 per cent from 2020 to 2025 and achieving water management plan coverage across all Fyffes farms.
“The challenges facing global food systems require long-term thinking and collaboration across supply chains,” noted Buckley.
”Through this strategy, we are establishing clear, measurable targets across the areas that are most material to our business and stakeholders.
”We will continue to monitor and report on our progress as we work towards these commitments,” she added.
