Avocado company Calavo Growers is taking action on environmental, social and governance (ESG) issues with a renewed sustainability strategy and 2030 goals.

The new course of action will place emphasis on four key areas: climate action, social responsibility, sustainable agriculture and sound governance.

Calavo President and CEO Brian Kocher said that ESG strategies are a priority for the company’s employees and investors.

"By publicly committing to these goals, Calavo is announcing that we're ready to meet the challenges ahead and committed to doing our part to transform the food industry into something truly sustainable,” said the executive.

Calavo expects to reduce its carbon footprint by 50% by 2030 and achieve carbon neutrality by 2027. Food waste is another critical point, with the company projecting a 50% reduction also by 2030 (against a 2022 baseline).

For its sustainable agriculture scheme, the firm will work to ensure 100% of its growers are engaged in Calavo’s sustainability program and also migrate at least 50% of packaging components to recycled content by 2030.

To support the new strategy and goals, Calavo is revamping its sustainability reporting cycle to align with its fiscal year, to better integrate ESG and financial disclosures. 

The company also is launching a new internal ESG data management system, which will aid in providing auditable, verifiable ESG metrics and reporting history.