These are challenging times to be running a fresh produce business. Margins are tight, production costs continue to rise, customer expectations are evolving, and new reporting requirements are constantly emerging. At the same time, companies are expected to innovate, remain profitable, and prepare for an increasingly uncertain future. In that environment, sustainability can easily seem like one more thing competing for already limited time and resources.
I understand that perspective. After nearly two decades working alongside growers, processors, shippers, retailers, and food companies, I’ve come to think the fresh produce industry has underestimated the business value of sustainability because we’ve spent too much time talking about sustainability and not enough time emphasizing what it actually delivers.
Too often, sustainability is viewed through the lens of compliance, reporting, certifications, or customer requests. Those expectations are real, and for many organizations, they’re what motivates the work to begin. But if compliance is where the conversation ends, we’ve missed the greatest opportunity.
The organizations that realize the greatest return aren’t the ones that simply check the box. They’re the ones who use sustainability to better understand their business.
It starts by asking questions many organizations have never asked before. Sustainability creates a reason to collect information that may never have been gathered otherwise and brings together people and departments that have traditionally worked independently. As those pieces come together, leaders gain a clearer understanding of how their businesses operate, where value is being created, where risks exist, and where future investments can have the greatest impact.
I’ve seen companies begin a greenhouse gas inventory simply because a customer asked for it. What they discovered went far beyond emissions. The process uncovered operational efficiencies, identified gaps in their data, strengthened collaboration across departments, and created an inventory of equipment and assets that later supported depreciation planning, capital investment decisions, regulatory initiatives, and future business planning. The report was not where the greatest value lay. That came from the information it generated and how the business continued to use it.
That learning changes the organization. Sustainability naturally creates conversations that don’t often happen otherwise. Operations, growing, finance, sales, packaging, transportation, and leadership each comprise a different piece of the business. When those perspectives come together around meaningful information, decisions improve. Departments become partners instead of silos, and employees begin to better understand how their work contributes to the success of the organization. In many cases, sustainability doesn’t just strengthen business strategy; it also strengthens culture.
The most successful organizations don’t treat sustainability as a series of one-time requests. They use each one to build knowledge, strengthen systems, and create capabilities that continue delivering value long after the original request has been answered. Rather than collecting information for a single questionnaire, they build a foundation that allows the same data to support customer requests, regulatory reporting, operational improvements, business planning, and strategic decision-making. Each effort builds on the last, demonstrating progress over time while preparing the organization for increasing expectations around transparency, validation, and accountability.
Why Retailers Benefit Too
This shift benefits more than growers and produce companies. Retailers also benefit when suppliers approach sustainability as an investment rather than a compliance exercise. Better information supports more transparent consumer communications, strengthens sustainability claims with credible evidence, reduces the risk of greenwashing, and builds confidence throughout the supply chain. Stronger data creates stronger partnerships because retailers gain greater confidence in supplier progress, and suppliers are better prepared to support evolving customer expectations.
I think we’ve underestimated the business value of sustainability because we’ve defined it too narrowly. We’ve viewed it primarily as an environmental initiative or a compliance exercise, when in reality it’s also an investment in the organization itself. Every effort to collect better information, strengthen collaboration, and build repeatable systems is an investment in a stronger organization — one that’s better equipped to make decisions, respond to change, and create long-term value.
Today’s economic realities make long-term investments difficult. When margins are under pressure, it’s natural to focus on today’s challenges before tomorrow’s opportunities. Yet those are often the moments when understanding your business becomes even more valuable. Organizations that continue investing in better information and stronger internal capabilities are often the ones best positioned to adapt as markets shift and customer expectations continue to evolve.
My advice to business leaders is simple: don’t ask, “How do we complete this request?” Ask, “How can this request strengthen our business?” Every customer questionnaire, certification, greenhouse gas inventory, or regulatory initiative is an opportunity to identify missing information, build internal champions, improve collaboration, and create systems that make the next challenge easier to manage. Collect information once. Use it many times. Let every sustainability effort leave your organization stronger than it was before.
Perhaps the greatest return on sustainability isn’t found in checking the box or responding to another customer’s request. It’s found in what the organization gains as a result of this effort. Every sustainability initiative creates an opportunity to learn something new, strengthen internal capabilities, improve decision-making, and build a more resilient business. Companies may begin their sustainability journey because they have to. They realize its value because of what they learn along the way.
- Measure to Improve is a Salinas, California-based consulting firm that helps agricultural producers and processors measure, improve and credibly promote their sustainability efforts.