AMADO, ARIZ — Wholesum, Fair Trade Certified growers and shippers of organic produce, recently published its Conscientious Company Report for the 2018 fiscal year. The report highlights Wholesum’s commitment to continual improvement in social and environmental responsibility and its official participation in the United Nations Global Compact to act towards the UN Sustainable Development Goals.
“Operating our business in an environmentally sustainable way is very important for us,” says Ricardo Crisantes, Chief Commercial Officer of Wholesum. “Through measurement and reporting, we can hold ourselves accountable for continual improvement and innovation.”
This is the third year Wholesum has published the report, allowing year by year comparisons of the sustainability efforts and results. The data analyzes the value chain of Wholesum’s operations, showing areas where significant impacts have been made, identifying areas of improvements and highlighting goals for the future. A few notable highlights from this year’s report are:
- 32,000 tons of organic produce taken to market, a 16% increase from 2017
- 34% increase in the use of renewable energy from solar and biomass
- 30% increase in recyclables diverted from landfills including electronics and cardboard
- 22% of irrigation water captured and reused to water crops in the Arizona farm
- $35,400 in donations were made to organizations in the US and Mexico
- Expansion of the Fair Trade program with two new certified farms and 54% of produce sold under Fair Trade terms
The report also announces Wholesum’s commitment to the UN Sustainable Development Goals. In December 2018, Wholesum officially joined the UN Global Compact. This is the world’s largest corporate responsibility effort, aligning companies to universally accepted principles in the areas of human rights, labor, environment and anti-corruption. Of the eight goals outlined, Wholesum has identified gender equality and responsible consumption and production – as the most immediate goals to tackle as they are the most relevant to the company’s operations.
“As innovators in responsible growing, we are constantly seeking ways to improve our supply chain,” says Crisantes. “We are proud of our progress we have made, and we are excited about the impact we can have on all areas in the future.”
To learn more about Wholesum’s 2018 Conscientious Company Report, visit their website at wh.farm and click on “Sustainably Grown.”
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About Wholesum:
Wholesum, third generation family-owned and operated farms based in Southern Arizona are growers and distributors of Fair Trade, organic produce. With over 90 years of farming experience, Wholesum has been dedicated to continuous improvement along the supply chain through responsible sourcing, twenty plus years of organic growing, equitable labor practices and environmental protection. They are also pioneering in the fair trade movement as the first Fair Trade Certified farm in the US and partner with organic growers with the same mission and commitment. Through a combination of greenhouse and open field production, Wholesum provides a year-round supply of high quality organic vegetables. More information is available at www.wh.farm.
