Understanding sourcing risks and proactively engaging suppliers to mitigate these.
Using WWF’s Supply Risk Analysis process, EDEKA has gained a broad overview of existing supply risks across many commodities sourced from around the world. Among other commodities, EDEKA’s own brand of bananas are an example of how this process has guided EDEKA towards understanding their supply risks through identifying priority action areas and taking direct steps to engage their suppliers on more sustainably produced bananas.
Most bananas are still produced conventionally and associated with ecological and social issues. WWF’s Supply Risk Analysis process helped EDEKA identify where the greatest potential supply risks in banana production in their countries of origin lie. On the basis of the supply risk analysis a set of environmental and social indicators and measures were developed to mitigate risks.
EDEKA and WWF specifically identified and prioritized 7 main high risk areas. In an effort to address these risks, EDEKA chose to engage with their banana suppliers’ plantations directly with a model project. As such, this project has taken on the specific socio-environmental risks highlighted in the supply risk analysis and begun dealing with them on the ground. Measures implemented at the farm level are helping to reduce these risks and move towards more sustainable banana sourcing.
As a baseline, all model project farms have to meet the SAN-Standard and be Rainforest Alliance certified. They may not cultivate bananas on agricultural land that has been converted from natural ecosystems within the last ten years nor are the farms permitted to apply certain extremely and highly hazardous pesticides. Going beyond this, the plantations have committed to implement over 300 measures developed out of 120 indicators within the following areas:
- Ecosystems and Biodiversity: protecting and preserving plant and animal biodiversity and entire ecosystems
- Water management: responsible use of water and waste water disposal
- Integrated pest management systems: responsible und reduced use of agrochemicals
- Soil management: analysis of soil management system and establishment of improved methods that include quality, soil organic matter, and soil structure
- Climate: analysis of greenhouse gas emissions and possible reduction measures
- Waste management: improved waste management covering storage and disposal
- Occupational health and safety: optimization of working conditions, occupational safety and health