Jun 21, 2019

AgroFresh commits further to environmental sustainability

AgroFresh Solutions has initiated a focused effort to formalize and strengthen its decades-long commitment to sustainability.

AgroFresh is positioning itself to further deliver on its mission to extend shelf life of the produce, prevent food waste and conserve the planet’s resources. As part of AgroFresh’s formalized commitment, the company commissioned an independent U.S.-focused study on the impact of its SmartFresh solution to date.

“Since our founding, AgroFresh has provided expertise, solutions and services that help our customers prevent food waste while reducing their carbon footprints and preserving the earth’s resources,” says Jordi Ferre, AgroFresh CEO. “Now, we’re taking a deep dive to quantify our historical impact and to seek ways to improve it further. We want our customers to be aware of the long-term benefits of their partnerships with us, which extend beyond everyday business to optimize our planet’s resources.”

AgroFresh has always developed innovative ways to use chemistry, data and technology to ensure more high-quality produce makes its way to consumers. Initial research into AgroFresh’s industry-leading SmartFresh™ solution in the U.S. from 2002-2018 found the following:

SmartFresh has diverted more than 250,000 tons of apple waste.

The diverted apple waste from SmartFresh equates to more than 800 million gallons of water not wasted.

SmartFresh has improved the sustainability of the apple supply chain by taking more than 8 million tons of carbon dioxide (CO2) out of the system. In 2017, CO2 accounted for approximately 81.6% of all U.S. greenhouse gas emissions from human activities, according to the U.S. EPA.

SmartFresh has made apples available year-round in the United States and has lowered reliance on carbon-intensive imports.

The company’s ongoing sustainability initiative will continue to uncover the specific impact of AgroFresh’s portfolio, as well as opportunities to grow its commitment through additional research for other solutions and other geographies. The next assessments will look at SmartFresh’s impact in additional global markets. Learn more about AgroFresh’s dedication to sustainability by visiting the website.