Westfalia Fruit launches updated Sustainability Strategy, building on 58% renewable electricity

Westfalia Fruit, a global leader in the avocado industry, has launched an updated global Sustainability Strategy built around four priorities: efficient water use, carbon management, waste reduction, and biodiversity protection. The strategy is already visible across the business. The share of renewable electricity in the company’s operations has risen from 18% in 2021 to 58% in 2025 and the company is working with growers and other international fresh produce companies on water in Chile’s Aconcagua Valley.

Westfalia Fruit's story began in South Africa more than 77 years ago, founded on environmental and social principles rooted in the legacy of Dr Hans Merensky. Since then, the company has grown into one of the most diverse avocado growers in the world, farming across the Americas and Africa, with a long legacy of farming in harmony with nature that still shapes how it farms, researches and invests today.

The updated strategy reflects where Westfalia Fruit wants to go as a business. As the company sharpens its focus on avocados, it wants to lead on the issues that matter most for the future of the category, from water and climate to biodiversity, and give customers credible evidence of its progress. Developed with specialist support from NewForesight, the strategy is shaped by where the business has the greatest impact and by what customers, retailers and regulators expect. Each business unit has its own roadmap for water, carbon, waste and biodiversity, based on the risks and opportunities in its region, with carbon linked to the Group’s long-term target of Net Zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2049.

Renewable electricity
In 2025, Westfalia Fruit’s renewable electricity consumption reached 34,653 MWh, supported by both on-site solar generation and certified renewable electricity purchased through instruments such as I-RECs and Guarantees of Origin. The share of renewable electricity across our operations increased from 18% in 2021 to 58% in 2025. This transition has contributed to a ~50% reduction in Scope 2 emissions over the same period.

Several packhouses across the UK, Peru, Chile, the US and France now operate on 100% renewable electricity, demonstrating the progress made in transitioning our operations away from non-renewable electricity sources.

Carbon in trees and soil
On its farms, Westfalia Fruit has partnered with One Carbon World to measure how much carbon is stored in its trees and soil. Baselines have been established on eight farms in Chile, Peru and South Africa, giving the company a clearer picture of the role its orchards play in its overall carbon balance.

Water in the Aconcagua Valley
In Chile’s Aconcagua Valley, one of the country’s important fruit-growing regions, Westfalia Fruit is a partner in the WAVE Aconcagua Collective Action Project. Since 2021, the project has brought together 15 producers, international fresh produce companies, government and technical partners to tackle risks that no single farm can solve on its own, such as water scarcity, soil health and biodiversity loss. The project has developed farm-level roadmaps and joined the Mesa Hídrica del Valle del Aconcagua, the main forum for water management in the valley.

“Sustainability has been part of how we farm from the very beginning,” says Johnathan Sutton, Chief R&D and Sustainability Officer at Westfalia Fruit. “What is different now is that we measure it site by site and act on what we find. Going from 18% to 58% of renewable electricity shows what that approach can do. We want to bring the same discipline to water, carbon, waste and biodiversity, working closely with growers, customers and partners as we go.”

The same roadmaps cover waste and biodiversity. In South Africa, for example, customer fulfilment centres in Midrand are moving to 100% recyclable packaging for avocado and mango products by the end of 2026. On biodiversity, reforestation and pollination work in Peru is helping to restore natural ecosystems in the regions where the company grows.

For customers, the strategy means clearer information on how their fruit is produced: what has already been achieved, what is still being built and where working together can speed up progress. The same long-term thinking shapes how Westfalia Fruit works with growers and their communities, from its own orchards to partnerships with smallholder growers.

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