CSR and Sustainability in the apple and pear sector

For the 38th edition of PROGNOSFRUIT, the European’s leading annual event for the apple and pear sector, the World Apple and Pear Association (WAPA) and COPA-COGECA are joining forces with the Turkish Fruit Juice Industry Association (MEYED) to host the 2014 Prognosfruit Conference from the 6th to the 8th of August in Istanbul, Turkey.

As it is the tradition on the occasion of Prognosfruit, WAPA will release the European apple and pear production forecast for 2014/2015 during the business conference on Thursday 7th August. The trends on the apple juice concentrate market as well as in the cider industry will also be on the agenda to widen the scope of the sector’s business perspective.

Additionally, the conference will also review some of the latest topical issues relevant for the apple and pear industry, including this year an in-depth exchange of views on pome fruit sustainability initiatives and corporate social responsibility. This will comprise a presentation of the experience gained by the Fruit Juice CSR Platform, a business-driven sustainability initiative specifically established for the fruit juice industry. The Platform is co-initiated by the European Fruit Juice Association (AIJN) and is endorsed and co-funded by the European Commission, while other partners are also cooperating such as UTZ Certified, IDH the Sustainable Trade Initiative, AZTI-Tecnalia and Sociability. Mr Jan Hermans, Secretary General of AIJN commented “The European Fruit Juice Industry, represented by AIJN, is committed to taking on the responsibility for ensuring that its global supply chain positively impacts society and the environment as a whole”.

The Prognosfruit conference will be an excellent opportunity to learn more about this project as well as other experiences in the fresh sector with the expertise gained by the Belgian apple and pear sector, through their Responsibly Fresh initiative. Mr Philippe Appeltans, Director of VBT (Verbond van BelgischeTuinbouwcoöperaties) will report the lessons learnt from their scheme.
Already more than 220 participants from across Europe have signed for the event. Join today the apple and pear’s market leaders and register on-line on www.prognosfruit.eu. The website provides detailed information about the complete programme of the conference, the networking opportunities and technical visits. Prognosfruit also offers a number of sponsorship opportunities to provide visibility to the apple and pear industry. Details are available in the enclosed file.

For more information:
M. Philippe Binard
Email: wapa@wapa-association.org