Highlighting achievements including water reuse, solar power and tree planting, Mission Produce Inc. has released its fiscal 2023 sustainability report, “Finest for the Future.” This marks the fourth annual sustainability report for the Oxnard, Calif.-based company that sources, produces and distributes fresh hass avocados.
Mission Produce says its sustainability strategy centers around three pillars: people, product and planet.
“Every year, we strive to build on the progress we’ve made to promote a more sustainable future for generations to come,” Mission Produce CEO Steve Barnard, said in a news release. “We’ve implemented initiatives throughout our global supply chain to help us be more environmentally and socially impactful. I’m proud of the positive contributions we’ve made on our surrounding communities and the intentionality we bring to using our resources efficiently and mindfully.”
Mission Produce says its fiscal 2023 achievements include:
- The company’s ripening and forward distribution center in the United Kingdom. In that facility alone, Mission was able to reuse 7,700 liters or over 2,000 gallons of water through the facility’s rainwater harvesting system. Additionally, Mission Produce U.K. received an AA score from the Brand Reputation through Compliance Global Standard Global Food Safety Standard, the highest rating achievable on an unannounced audit to assess the business’ commitment to food safety, the release said.
- In both Mission Produce’s U.K. and California packing and distribution centers, the company uses solar power to reduce reliance on grid electricity. In 2023, Mission Produce generated 1.9 million kWh for the use of clean energy in its operations, the equivalent of powering 177 homes for one year, according to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s Green Power Equivalencies Calculator.
- In 2023, Mission Produce planted more than 180,000 trees across its farms in Peru, Guatemala and Colombia. In Mexico, Mission concluded a reforestation campaign to plant 3,000 native plants in the state of Michoacán. Mission Produce Guatemala partnered with the San Nicholas Village School to plant 350 native trees in areas historically used as refuge heaps.
- Mission Produce set a goal in 2020 to implement a reduced-plastic bag in 50% of the bags the company packs and ships globally. In 2023, Mission modified its methodology for calculating progress on this goal. It says the new method of calculation is more accurate based on data available to Mission Produce and captures the amount of reduced plastic used in the various bagging configurations it produces for customers. Mission now calculates based on the quantity of plastic film it purchases for use in production. According to the new methodology, 53% of the film purchased for use in production in 2023 was reduced plastic.
Click here to learn more about Mission Produce’s sustainability efforts and read the full report.
