Sustainability, a team sport made easier by Hort360 ESG
Queensland Fruit & Vegetable Growers (QFVG) will unveil the new Hort360 ESG platform at this week’s Hort Connections Conference and Trade Show in Melbourne from 3 - 5 June.
Developed by QFVG, the platform enables growers to report their sustainability efforts against global, national, and state-based goals.
QFVG CEO Rachel Chambers highlighted the importance of the platform saying sustainability/ESG have become integral to horticulture's narrative with governments and large corporates signing us all up to global goals.
“Our growers needed a way to document how their actions on the ground aligned with these goals. They also needed a way to document their own agribusiness decision making as we believe it is equally important to understand why businesses choose to participate in sustainability initiatives, as well as the reasons they may be unable to do so,” Ms Chambers said.
“ESG is a team sport and every entity's ability to participate will be highly customised and varied. The Hort360 ESG platform allows growers to document and report their efforts, empowering them to push up their own decisions within their very complex supply chain."
The platform allows growers to map their practices against global goals, offering a user-friendly data collection mechanism, along with benchmarking, education, and support.
By generating comprehensive reports on sustainability in agribusiness, Hort360 ESG helps growers present a clear picture of their contributions to ESG goals to financial institutions, markets, insurance, and investors.
Ms Chambers added that the Hort360 ESG framework enables growers to articulate how their business performs and responds to national and international requirements.
“We have ensured the platform aligns with various national and international standards, including Hort Innovation’s Hort Sustainability Framework, the National Farmers’ Federation’s Australian Agricultural Sustainability Framework, the UN Sustainable Development Goals, and the Global Reporting Initiative (GRI),” Ms Chambers said.
“We are continually adding layers of these goals (as they are being introduced) to what we now lovingly refer to as our ‘sustainability onion’.
“Hort360 ESG is the first of its kind developed specifically for horticulture, providing a simple, guided process to support the industry in developing ESG reporting requirements."
Ignoring ESG is not an option for horticulture, Ms. Chambers noted.
"This space is evolving almost daily, but it’s one we will keep working hard to keep abreast of.”
Industry will find QFVG’s Hort360 ESG platform at Stand 71 at the Hort Connections Trade Show, Melbourne.
