Bakersfield, Calif.-based Grimmway Farms has released its first official report on environment, social and governance, aka ESG. The company’s “Responsible Growth for a Healthier World” report highlights Grimmway’s progress year over year.
Presenting Grimmway’s actions and accomplishments over an 18-month period from January 2020 to June 2021, the report measures the company’s impact against relevant categories such as carbon mitigation, water conservation, soil health, biodiversity, energy conservation, waste reduction, food safety, employee health and diversity, and social equity, among others.
“At the core of our business is our role as protectors and caretakers of the farmland that has supported our growth for more than 50 years,” Jeff Huckaby, president and CEO at Grimmway Farms, said in a news release. “Long before climate change and ESG became part of everyday conversations, Grimmway was committed to enterprisewide sustainability and diversity initiatives. We are making strategic, long-term investments to reduce our carbon footprint, conserve and replenish vital water and soil resources, apply new technologies and efficiencies across our operations and supply chain, and bring advanced training and career opportunities to our diverse workforce.”
Among the report’s highlights:
- Leadership in organics: Grimmway’s organic footprint spans more than 45,000 acres and 65 different crops, all grown free of synthetic fertilizers and pesticides, preservatives and GMOs.
- Soil health: In 2020, Grimmway put 65 million pounds of carbon into the soil using carrot-top green waste and 86 million pounds of carbon into the soil from applied compost and animal waste.
- Clean energy: Grimmway owns and operates five solar arrays at four different facilities that generate enough electricity to power more than 1,100 California households every year.
- Water conservation: In 2020, Grimmway reduced water usage on its three largest California ranches by more than 7 million gallons. A new, large-scale water banking project in the San Joaquin Valley is projected to recharge over 20,000 acre-feet of high flows, or more than 6.5 billion gallons of water by 2028.
- Waste management: More than 92% of Grimmway’s primary active packaging is made from recyclable material.
- Diversity, equity and inclusion: Grimmway is committed to inclusivity, professional growth opportunities and anti-bias education for all employees. In 2021, the company named its first chief people officer to advance and measure diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives across the enterprise.
Grimmway formalized a data-driven ESG reporting structure beginning in 2019 across all of its operations and geographies. The company has established a dedicated internal task force to oversee the company’s reporting activities and manage the data capture process from farm to table.
