INC Launches Global Sustainability Certification

The International Nut and Dried Fruit Council( INC) has introduced the world’s first sustainability instrument designed specifically for the nut and dried fruit sector, marking a significant step toward establishing measurable environmental, social, and governance( ESG) norms within one of the most encyclopedically traded agrarian diligence.

Unveiled during the NUTS 2025 exploration event at the INC headquarters in Reus, Spain, the instrument provides a unified frame for assessing and perfecting sustainability performance across the assiduity’s entire value chain — from small family- run vineyards to large- scale transnational processors. The action aims to align directors, dealers, and processors under a common set of vindicated sustainability practices, addressing long- standing challenges around translucency, responsibility, and traceability in the force chain.

According to INC Executive Director Goretti Guasch, sustainability has come a strategic precedence for the nut and dried fruit assiduity. While being instruments frequently touch on sustainability, none have been acclimatized to the specific realities and challenges of this sector. “ This instrument has been created by the assiduity, for the assiduity, ” Guasch said, emphasizing that the frame was developed collaboratively to reflect the sector’s practical requirements and indigenous diversity.

The INC Sustainability instrument is erected on three crucial pillars — environmental stewardship, social responsibility, and governance norms. It establishes structured pathways for companies to reduce their carbon footmark, manage water and soil coffers responsibly, minimize waste, and uphold ethical labor and sourcing practices. These criteria aim to strengthen the assiduity’s long- standing commitment to regenerative and resource-effective husbandry, which has been a hallmark of numerous multigenerational nut and dried fruit directors.

At the launch, commission members stressed that farmers have historically enforced sustainable styles to cover soil, conserve water, and maintain biodiversity. The instrument formalizes these practices while extending responsibility through governance norms that address worker weal, fair force chain operation, and transparent reporting. The frame is designed to be inclusive and adaptable, allowing both smallholders and large enterprises to share. It also includes third- party verification mechanisms to insure credibility and make request trust, supporting recognition by institutional buyers and investors decreasingly prioritizing ESG performance.

The action comes at a time when the global nut and dried fruit request — valued at over$ 60 billion is facing growing demand for translucency and responsible sourcing. Consumers, retailers, and controllers are pushing for empirical sustainability data, and large requests similar as China are playing a crucial part in accelerating this trend. As consumer mindfulness grows, traceability and evidence of sustainable product are getting central to request competitiveness.

The INC stated that the new instrument aligns with broader transnational sustainability fabrics, including the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals( SDGs) and the OECD- FAO Guidance for Responsible Agrarian force Chains. By harmonizing assiduity practices with these global norms, the instrument aims to help companies demonstrate their ESG progress more effectively while secerning themselves in requests where sustainability is decreasingly impacting copping

opinions.

An INC Executive Committee member noted that the instrument provides the assiduity with a participated language for communicating sustainability achievements. “ farmers and directors have been part of the sustainability trip for times. This instrument gives them a believable structure to take it further, ” the member said.

Although participation in the program is voluntary, the INC expects the instrument to come an essential factor in assiduity competitiveness as global ESG exposure prospects continue to rise. fiscal institutions, investors, and buyers are precipitously integrating sustainability- linked conditions into their lending and procurement programs. By furnishing a standardized and empirical sustainability frame, the INC’s action is deposited to grease alignment with these evolving prospects.

For policymakers and investors, the instrument represents an occasion to gain clearer sapience into sustainability performance across a complex, disintegrated global force chain. It codifies assiduity-specific pointers, offering a implicit model for other specialty crop sectors seeking to balance growth with environmental and social responsibility.

Ashok Krishen, Chairman of the INC, underlined that the action marks a transformative moment in how the assiduity views its part in sustainable development. “ In moment’s world, sustainability is n't a ‘ nice to have’ — it is the right thing to do, ” he said. “ We're proud to colonist and advance sustainable practices, icing our assiduity continues to grow responsibly and sustainably into the future. ”

The nut and dried fruit assiduity, comprising further than one million farmers and processors worldwide, plays a pivotal part in global husbandry, nutrition, and trade. With the preface of this instrument, the INC aims to move beyond general sustainability markers, which frequently fail to capture the complexity and diversity of agrarian product systems. The new frame provides a sector-specific standard that reflects the realities of the assiduity while promoting measurable, empirical advancements in environmental and social performance.

As demand for sustainably produced and transparently sourced food products continues to grow, the INC’s instrument could review how investors, retailers, and consumers assess sustainability within the nut and dried fruit assiduity. It signals a shift toward tone- regulated progress — an approach that empowers the assiduity to set and maintain its own rigorous norms while contributing meaningfully to global sustainability pretensions.