They use six headings Health ,Livelihoods , Water ,Carbon imprint ,Waste and Sustainable Sourcing . The Targets are set around 2020 but Fruit and Veg for 2012 and 2015 so more pressure on suppliers in this sector
The vision makes it clear that a major driver is a more competitive Unilever whilst meeting demands of their customers and end consumers .
The criteria targets are for
• Soil health: improving the quality of soil and its ability to support plant and animal life
• Soil loss: reducing soil erosion which can lead to loss of nutrients
• Nutrients: reducing the loss of nutrients through harvesting, leaching, erosion and emissions to air
• Pest management: reducing the use of pesticides
• Biodiversity: helping to improve biodiversity
• Farm economics: improving the product quality and yield
• Energy: reducing the greenhouse gas emissions associated with farming
• Water: reducing the loss and contamination of water supplies from agriculture
If other major food manufactures and retailers take similar corporate visions it puts a new slant on assured produce standards and gives a significant direction to applied research for F&V (see also the PepsiCo policies re potatoes on this site )
http://www.unilever.com/sustainability/UnileverSustainableLivingPlan/index.aspx
http://www.sustainable-living.unilever.com/the-plan/better-livelihoods/