Nadorcott Spain sets citrus sustainability first

CVVP – represented by Nadorcott Spain – unveiled the first greenhouse gas inventory for an entire citrus variety based on real agronomic data. The study covers all Nadorcott mandarin orchards in Spain over 12 consecutive seasons (from 2013/14 to 2024/25) and concludes that the crop has sequestered more carbon than it has emitted throughout that period.

The event, held under the slogan “Millionaires in caring for the planet”, invited attendees to join the “millionaires’ club” – where fortune is measured not in money, but in the tonnes of carbon removed from the atmosphere and stored in the soil and tree wood.

The launch also saw the official presentation of the NCTT Spain brand, which CVVP will use this seal to certify the results to both buyers and consumers.

Across the 12 seasons measured, Nadorcott orchards sequestered 2.6mn tonnes of CO₂ equivalent and emitted 1.27mn tonnes of the gas, creating a positive net balance of 1.33mn tonnes. That is equivalent to taking some 290,000 cars off the road for a year or the annual energy consumption of around 160,000 households.

“In a category where all mandarins look alike in terms of price, appearance, and origin, Nadorcott is the only one that reaches the store shelf with an audited tally,” CVVP said

Mercedes Iborra, co-founder and CEO of visualNACert, explained how the footprint for the entire variety was calculated. The inventory covers approximately 9,000ha – with 100 per cent of the plots georeferenced – and relies on a structured survey of 1,214 growers during the 2024/25 season, with nearly half of the responses provided directly by the farm owners.

The result is not the product of a calculated adjustment but stems from practices already implemented in the field: 87 per cent of producers use efficient localised irrigation, 80 per cent maintain ground cover and practice minimum tillage, 79 per cent sustainably manage pruning residues, and 73 per cent actively foster functional biodiversity.

The process – from field to certification – comprises five steps: data collection, consumption analysis, calculation based on the GHG Protocol with scientific support from the Valencian Institute of Agricultural Research, external verification in accordance with the ISO 14064-3 standard, and certification by Aenor.

“You cannot manage or verify what you do not measure. Nadorcott has measured twelve seasons, plot by plot, and subjected the data to independent verification. Measuring is not the end goal; it is the starting point for improvement,” said Iborra.

However, as CVVP pointed out, “data that no one sees serves no one”. Guided by this idea, it introduced its own label which features a QR code providing access to the full evidence: methodology, scope, and certification details.

“On the retail shelf, consumers do not read reports – they look at seals – and they have only a few seconds to make a decision,” CVVP noted.

It said the new seal offers retailers four advantages: a real, verifiable story to tell, rather than a generic commitment; audited evidence available for audits and sustainability reporting; differentiation and reputational security.

Transparency regarding scope

The Club also wanted to clarify what the inventory does not claim. It does not present the mandarin as a carbon-neutral product, nor does it constitute an offset that third parties can deduct from their own carbon footprints; furthermore, it excludes transport, packaging, and distribution, focusing instead on measuring the agricultural system itself.

“What it does certify is that this crop captures more carbon than it emits – a fact that has been verified,” CVVP said.

The study also identified three areas for improvement: nitrogen fertilisation, which remains the primary source of emissions; soil analysis monitoring (covered by 59 per cent of the responses); and reliance on fossil fuels for machinery and energy. CVVP said it was committed to continuing these measurements season after season, using the same methodology and verification process.