Avocado company Mission Produce has announced the release of its inaugural Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) Report, titled “Finest for the Future.”

The report highlights the Company’s accomplishments in sustainable farming and details the status and scope of its goals across Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DE&I), climate risk, waste reduction and community investment. 

Throughout its history, Mission has remained rooted in honesty, respect, and loyalty to its land, resources, and people. As the global leader in avocados, Mission has committed to sustainability initiatives that embody its core values: Fun, Innovative, Reliable, Successful, and Trustworthy. For over 35 years, the Company has invested in its people, state-of-the-art technology and infrastructure.

“Mission Produce’s first ESG Report illustrates our dedication to the finest practices for our people, product and planet,” said Mission Produce Chief Executive Officer and Founder, Steve Barnard.

“We embody sustainable practices from field to fork and our advanced farming practices allow us to keep our water usage per avocado well below the industry average. Our people are passionate and have an innovative spirit, constantly driving our operations to reduce our environmental footprint and contribute positively to our global community.” 

With a focus on investing in people, reducing water and waste, and minimizing carbon emissions, key highlights of the report include numerous goals and accomplishments.

These include the implementation of a reduced plastic bag in at least 50% of the bags packed and shipped globally by fiscal year 2025, and the application of shelf-life extension technology to 22.5 million pounds of avocados by the end of 2021.

The company also noted that its precision and biodiverse farming methods use less irrigation water per avocado compared to the average grower, specifically 40.5% less water in Peru₁ and 40% less water in California. Additionally, compared to 2019, in 2020 Mission was able to decrease its total global scope 1 and 2 emissions by 15.8% and reduce its total waste by 16.2%.

Furthermore, Mission will sponsor the produce industry’s first-ever DE&I initiative in 2021, run by the Center for Growing Talent (CGT) of the Produce Marketing Association. 

“Creating a diverse, equitable and inclusive culture is essential to attracting, developing and retaining the talent that makes our industry thrive,” said CGT’s Executive Director, Doug Bohr.

“With the Diversity & Inclusion Program Series, we’re helping the industry build a base of knowledge and resources to advance DE&I practices to benefit everyone, their businesses and our industry.  We’re thrilled to have the support of industry sponsors, like Mission Produce, in this work.”

Barnard added: "As we look to the future, we recognize the need to further understand and integrate DE&I practices within our organization and industry. People are our greatest asset, so we must do our part to value, protect, and foster that asset."

Mission’s sustainability topics for reporting were informed by stakeholder engagement through a comprehensive sustainability materiality assessment grounded in the Global Reporting Initiative (GRI) and aligned with the Sustainability Accounting Standards Board (SASB).

Mission’s 2020 Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) Report is available for download at https://worldsfinestavocados.com/mission-global/sustainability.