Freshfel Europe, which represents the interests of the fresh fruit and vegetable sector in Europe, has announced a public consultation for its FreshProducePEFCR platform, part of its Environmental Footprint Initiative.
Freshfel's Environmental Footprint Initiative was developed in response to EU environmental footprint accountability requirements and rising transparency expectations from the supply chain and consumers, which in turn prompted the development of a standardised environmental footprint methodology within the fresh produce sector.
With this in mind, Freshfel Europe, along with its members, launched the Environmental Footprint Initiative to collaboratively develop a methodology (FreshProducePEFCR), database, and a digital tool specific to fresh fruits and vegetables. The aim is to create solutions that are widely accepted by industry stakeholders and consumers.
'Enhance Sustainability'
Aligned with the Product Environmental Footprint (PEF) methodology, as recommended by the EU, the objective is to 'enhance the sector’s sustainability and maintain its competitiveness', Freshfel said in a statement.
The Technical Secretariat of the FreshProducePEFCR initiative, which is developing technical rules for calculating the environmental footprint of fruits and vegetables, is inviting all sector representatives to provide their feedback on the first draft of the PEFCR document.
Seeking Feedback
'With this public consultation we ensure different perspectives are considered in the development process,' Freshfel said. 'We especially encourage sector experts and LCA-experts with sound expertise in the fruit and vegetable sector to submit their feedback.'
More information on the PEFCR document and how to issue feedback can be found here.
The Technical Secretariat comprises Freshfel Europe as chair, along with Wageningen Economic Research, the Dutch Fresh Produce Centre (GroentenFruit Huis), Greenyard, and Dole plc, along with Blonk Sustainability, and PRé Sustainability in support roles.
