Vision & mission

UNIVEG pursues sustainable entrepreneurship throughout the supply chain, driven by management. We do this not because sustainability is fashionable nowadays and expected of a large multinational such as us, but because we consider it important and indeed essential. We are ambitious in our objectives but pragmatic in our approach. We identify the main priorities, and apply the best sustainable practices. In this way we are able to make significant progress in a short space of time. In parallel we pursue strategic but realistic objectives that are practical and measurable, so that we can monitor the results of our efforts and learn from them.

UNIVEG focuses on four areas that are relevant to our operations:

• Healthy, safe food: our retailers and consumers want fruit and vegetables to be healthy and safe. We grow, process, transport and store fresh produce under healthy and safe conditions. 
  
• Climate change: we use resources that do not adversely influence the climate, and focus on cutting down waste as well as recycling.
• Water Management: we face up to our responsibilities fully when it comes to water. Because world population and water consumption are growing steadily, and because water is already scarce in some of the countries where we operate.
• Corporate Social Responsibility: Corporate Social Responsibility is key to our way of working. We are in business not only for today but also for tomorrow. We support projects focused on protecting the workplace rights of our employees. We ensure personal safety and wellbeing of our people in the communities where we operate.

In the course of its expansion, UNIVEG has already acquired full or part ownership of many companies that now belong to our group. We consider it important to coordinate and streamline all sustainability initiatives worldwide. This not only creates more efficiency but also enables us to learn from initiatives in different countries, conditions and cultures. It further demonstrates to our employees and business relations that we are serious about sustainability.

UNIVEG has a dedicated Global Sustainability Unit which reports directly to the CEO.

For further information please send an e-mail to sustainability@univeg.com.

UNIVEG is member of BSCI (Business Social Compliance Initiative):

UNIVEG is one of the first members of the Business Social Compliance Initiative and applies the BSCI Code of Conduct and the BSCI System rules and functioning, having as goal to improve the working conditions in our global supply chain.

The Business Social Compliance Initiative is the broadest business-driven platform for the improvement of social compliance in the global supply chain and offers companies like UNIVEG a comprehensive monitoring and qualification system covering all products sourced from any country.