Firmenich has signed the Sustainable Juice Covenant, joining forces with leading European beverage and food companies to commit to creating 100 percent sustainable juice and puree by 2030. Under the coordination of IDH: the Sustainable Trade Initiative, Firmenich, Döhler, FrieslandCampina Riedel, Refresco and Verbruggen Juice Trading Sustainable Products b.v., have agreed to target 100 percent verified sustainable sourcing for their juices within the next decade.

With the support of AIJN, the European Fruit Juice Association, the coalition will work on the certification/verification of their supply chains, and jointly set up projects to address specific sustainability issues such as smallholder inclusion, working conditions, soil erosion and degradation, and climate resilience. 

“Firmenich has a 122-year heritage of leading its business responsibly. That’s why we are committed to running the most ethical, traceable and sustainable value chain,” says Gilbert Ghostine, CEO Firmenich. 

“We are very proud to be the first in our industry to sign this covenant, underlining our commitment to advancing sustainability across our supply chain, while enhancing the livelihoods of the local farmers that produce citrus fruits.” 

“Consumers across Europe want sustainable juice, with transparency on wher the fruit comes from and how juices are made,” says Tony Bruggink, Program Director IDH and Chairman of the Sustainable Juice Covenant. “To make this happen sustainably, collective action is key. That’s why we are proud to be working with front-running juice companies such as Friesland Campina and Flavor houses such as Firmenich.”  

In 2015, 9.6 billion liters of fruit juice and nectar was consumed in the EU and 38.5 liters globally. The EU remains the largest juice-consuming region, followed by North America. 

To determine specific sustainability issues in the juice sector, IDH, together with WWF, developed a supply risk analysis for the countries wher juice production occurs. This analysis gives covenant partners insight on sustainability issues for selected product-market combinations. 

The next steps for the coalition are to put annual process monitoring in place, set pre-competitive projects in the field and to develop an action plan for the first year. The partners are also seeking to inspire more like-minded companies to join the covenant and work together towards a more sustainable supply chain. The covenant is open to all players in the supply chain.