First carbon neutral certified organic lemons hit the market

The Spanish organic lemon campaign is starting at a very good pace and with an optimal transition between the organic fruit of the southern hemisphere and the northern hemisphere. Also, this year, the market supply will be expanded with the first carbon neutral certified lemons. They will be brought by Agribio, which has thus taken another step towards sustainability.

"Now it's the optimum time for the start of the harvest and we have good prospects for this coming season. There's a growing demand for organic produce that we think we can meet with our production, which, moreover, includes the first carbon neutral lemons on the market," says Gaston Schatz, from the production department of the Valencian company.

Calculate, reduce and offset
To achieve neutrality, it was necessary to calculate the total carbon footprint from all the inputs used and the emissions generated during the fruit's different production processes, from the field to the supermarket. The goal was to identify those where it was possible to reduce emissions, says Gastón. We have managed to minimize our footprint mainly in 3 ways: by reducing the use of plastics in our packaging, through the use of clean energy in our production centers and with our agroecological production system," he says. "This system, certified by Bureau Veritas, aims to minimize the use of inputs, especially those applied to the soil, to ensure and promote good soil health and encourage biodiversity."

In addition to reducing carbon emissions, Agribio has carried out different social and environmental projects, managed by Climate Partner, with which it has managed to offset such emissions and achieved 12 out of the 17 Sustainable Development Goals of the UN Agenda 2030.

"We are collaborating in different social and environmental projects to help reduce emissions in other areas of the planet, such as Peru or the Congo, or to promote the reforestation of European forests," says Gastón. "For all these reasons, we wanted to call this carbon neutral certification 'Carbon Limited Impact', a name with which we aim to be transparent about the fact that our products still generate emissions, but that these are reduced to a minimum and offset with projects that promote the reduction of the carbon footprint around the planet."

Climact: Climate action
To make information more accessible to the consumer, Agribio has created the Climact (Carbon Limited Impact) label; a seal that offers the consumer all the information related to the reduction and offsetting process through a QR code.

"We understand that there are growing concerns about the planet. As organic producers, this is something we have always been very aware of, as the quality of our soils and water has a direct influence on our product. This is a way of formalizing our commitment to the environment and to more responsible consumption."

"The Climact seal is a new label, but it is a concept that is arousing a lot of interest. Consumers are increasingly demanding more sustainable products, in line with the UN strategy to make the world carbon neutral by 2050. We want to get ahead, so we aim to reduce our emissions to a minimum as soon as possible," says Gastón.

You will be able to learn more about Climact and Agribio at stand 8C02 at the next edition of Fruit Attraction in Madrid.