SYDNEY, AUS - Operated through IFCO and CHEP brands, supply chain logistics company, Brambles Limited, has set its new sustainability goals to be reached by 2020. 

Having just completed its 2015 goals, marked by the elimination of over 460,000 tons of waste and saving 1.38 million trees, Brambles stated that each new objective pushes the company into closer alignment with the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals. The company said that it expects the new goals to put greater focus on the material aspects of its operations.

“Brambles has made significant progress in delivering continual improvement through our sustainability objectives over the past five years,” declared CEO Tom Gorman in a press release. “Our 2020 Sustainability Goals set a new challenge for us – one that we are excited and committed to undertaking.”

Brambles has pledged these goals in continued support of its “Better Business, Better Communities, Better Planet” campaign, to be achieved by 2020:

• Zero deforestation: completely traceable chain of custody through lumber supply
• Zero emissions: reduction of CO2-e emissions by 20 percent
• Zero waste: no wood or plastic wastes sent to landfill
• Better workplace: 25 percent reduction on workplace incidents, 30 percent more women on the Board or in senior management
• Better collaboration: yearly improvements in food waste and waste packaging
• Better supply chains: annual improvements in waste and CO2-e in customer supply chains
• Helping communities: yearly improvements in education, environment, and food security programs through donations and volunteer-work

“Our commitment to sustainability fits intrinsically with our model, our markets and our customers’ needs, and I am delighted to see our goals also align so directly with the Sustainability Goals established by the UN,” continued Gorman.

Brambles remains confident in its ability to complete the goals, said the company, due to its circular business model for providing customers with multi-use pallets and shipping containers. 

Expanded details on Brambles’ 2020 goals, as well as its completed goals from 2015, can be found on the Brambles website at brambles.com/sustainability.

Brambles

SAN ISIDRO, MX - Sinaloa Encanta celebrated its third annual event with growing numbers, having gathered together more than 600 industry members on March 11th.

Producers, buyers, foodservice operators, association members, and even the general public gathered to celebrate and connect Sinaloa's strong agroindustry.

“The third version of Sinaloa Encanta showed its consolidation as the must-go meeting for all the players in the agro business in Sinaloa,” Eduardo Leyson, President of the organization committee and a producer himself, commented in a press release. “This state produces 70 millions of boxes of vegetables per year from 150 thousands acres, and generates 200 thousand jobs. We are producing quantity and quality, and it is a great business to come and see first-hand all the possibilities that we have to offer. Sinaloa Encanta is a one stop place for the buyers.”

The Texas International Produce Association (TIPA) and buyers like Walmart, Limex Sicar, Marengo Foods, Nature Fresh Trading, and Fresh Farms had the opportunity to meet directly with producers from Sinaloa.

Activities took place on the Leyson family's land, seeing almost double the attendance from last year despite it only having been its third year.

This event welcomed representatives of several organizations, among them a delegation from Arizona, including:

• Jonathan Larkin, member of the Arizona House of Representatives
• José Andrés García, Phoenix's Mayor Greg Staton representative
• Kim Sabow, from the Arizona Lodging & Tourism Association, and, demonstrated the interest of their state in developing better and richer links with Sinaloa.

To celebrate the culture that this northwestern state of Mexico has to offer in state capital San Isidro, a farming operation next to Culiacán, everyone gathered for new activities, meetings, and to witness the local tradition that produce participates in.

Highlights included:

• A Business Center setup in which about 30 business meetings took place throughout the day
• A group of international buyers had the opportunity of visiting the operation of Del Campo, one of the horticulture market's leaders to see the quality processes of Sinaloa
• 12 of the best restaurants in the area offered a vast sample of the state's exceptional cuisine
• World-renowned wineries from the neighboring state of Baja California showcased their best products in a blend of food and wine
• Several artists displayed differents aspects of the local art, music, and traditions

All proceeds from Sinaloa Encanta will benefit Pro-Educa Sinaloa, which supports the “Henry Ford” elementary schools for children of farm workers, which the organization said is a fundamental part of the agroindustry of Sinaloa.

Don’t miss the fourth annual Sinaloa Encanta, already slated for March 2017.

Sinaloa Encanta

WILMINGTON, DE – Oppy joined Vice President Joe Biden for the annual Beau Biden Memorial Trail Race through the Brandywine Valley earlier this month. In addition to supporting the cause, Oppy supplied a JAZZ™ apple tent for attendees to visit throughout the run.

“Before and after the race, we sampled JAZZ apples to race participants and their families who gave us very positive feedback on the variety,” said TJ Wilson, BDR for Oppy, in a press release. “For many, one slice just wasn’t enough. Lots of people came back for seconds, thirds, and even whole apples to satisfy their newly found JAZZ apple cravings.”

Oppy Sales Rep Rob Campbell and Quality Control Assistant Sarah Chiari also joined Wilson at the event, even participating in the run which, this year, honored the memory of the Vice President’s late son.

The race benefited the charitable legacy that the late state attorney general began,The Beau Biden Foundation for the Protection of Children. Oppy said that the Vice President joined in the singing of the national anthem, and gave an emotional speech before the start of the 5k and 10k event praising the efforts of those present.

“Vice President Biden was touched by the outpouring of support and loyalty to Beau’s crusade demonstrated by the number of participants taking part in this year’s Memorial Trail Race,” continued Wilson. “We were honored to be part of the event.”

Vice President Biden’s son, Beau, passed away last year after battling brain cancer. After his passing, VP Biden picked up Beau's vocal and financial crusade to end child abuse and violence.

Stay tuned for AndNowUKnow for more updates on events happening across the industry.

Oppy

CALIFORNIA - Thanks to El Niño, California’s snowpack has made an impressive recovery—for now. 

An array of winter storms brought on by the El Niño weather pattern has brought the state’s snowpacks to near-normal levels, providing a backup supply of water to melt throughout the summer months. As of March 30th, according to the California Department of Water Resources, snow water equivalent levels for the Northern, Central, and Southern Sierra snowpacks were at 97 percent, 88 percent, and 72 percent of normal, respectively. An enormous improvement over March of 2015, where the respective levels were at 5 percent, 6 percent, and 6 percent.

While this is fantastic news, some experts and climate scientists fear that this won't be enough to turnaround California’s drought longterm.

“Last year was the real story, as its 5 percent of normal snowpack was like something right out of the far future,”  told Discovery News. “Looking to the future, we expect long-term declines compared to this year.”

Doug Carlson, Information Officer for the California Department of Water Resources says the fact that the snow mainly fell in Northern California may be part of the reason the state may be struggling as far as longterm goals for the snowpack.

“The hope had been that we might be able to ride on the back of El Niño and receive an awful lot of precipitation,” Carlson said. “We haven’t seen that above-average situation play out.”

Little rain and snow hit Southern California, leaving most of its reservoirs low, and it will take years to replenish the overdrawn groundwater that has helped power the state through the first four years of the drought, according to an article by CBS Los Angeles.

“We’re looking at a long-term recovery and not a one-shot wonder,” Carlson added.

While many experts agree that it's not yet time to let up on concerns, CBS Los Angeles reports that leaders of local water districts are arguing that the state needs to pull back on the emergency restrictions and save them for even worse conditions, in part due to the fear of losing credibility with the public during future droughts. Officials at the State Water Resources Control Board have said that they may relax or even set aside strict conservation requirements, depending on how much rain and snow has fallen.

This may be a time of a turning point for California’s water conservation plans, so keep reading AndNowUKnow for more updates.

QUEENSLAND, AUSTRALIA - A technology five years in the making is looking to render tractors and sprayers useless, while bringing SciFi to the agricultural practice instead.

Founder of SwarmFarm Robotics Andrew Bate is seeking to have a swarm of robots spray over fields like bees in a hive, avoiding collision and adding the next chapter to agricultural cutting-edge technology.

"This is industry changing,” Bate said about technology’s role in ag, according to an ABC News report. “We aren't automating stuff, we are creating robotics systems, and it's a whole new playing field that we are moving onto.”

Last week, about 300 people joined Bate and some of SwarmFarm to watch the launch of the robotic sprayers at a farm located in Emerald, Queensland.

"We are doing world-first stuff here," Bate said, adding that the company’s work with robotics has drawn numerous scientists and engineers to the region, bringing with them a different scheme to rural culture.

"It's bringing diversity into rural towns, it's bringing exciting new minds into agriculture," Bate told ABC.

Will SwarmFarm’s robotic colony make it across the oceans to influence our own farms and fields? Keep checking in with AndNowUKnow as we continue to follow new technologies looking to influence our industry.

SwarmFarm Robotics

LA CAÑADA FLINTRIDGE, CA – In concordance with its 40 years of business, Allen Lund Company (ALC) is celebrating the achievement through 40 different events and charity commitments throughout the year.

"I am proud to work with all of our ALC employees, especially in efforts to better our communities. I thank them from the bottom of my heart for their generosity towards others,” said Allen Lund, President and CEO, in a press release.

ALC’s 40 Acts of Kindness pledge, which began in February of this year, originated with a Build A Bike event in San Diego, California, in partnership with Team Bonding to benefit the Boys and Girls Club. The company said that it expects each of its 30 locations to participate in the planned events and acts throughout 2016.

In its most anticipated event, ALC has issued a company-wide challenge for all employees to walk or run a total of 40,000 miles by Memorial Day.

"As the Allen Lund Company celebrates our 40 years in business, we have launched our largest community service project. Kind deeds come from a desire to give back, generated by a core response deep within all of us,” stated Kenny Lund, VP of Support Operations, in the release.

ALC will partner with The Independence Fund to reach its mobility goal. Once the goal is reached, ALC will spend $16,000 to provide a disabled veteran with a track chair and trailer.

To complete their pledge, the company provided the following list of planned events, some of which are already underway:

• $10,000.00 donation to Cardinal’s Awards in Los Angeles
• Advancing ALC’s 12 year long investment in inner-city tuitions, by continuing to donate to the Catholic Education Foundation throughout 2016
• Team booked for ALC’s annual participation in American Cancer Society's Foothills Relay for Life
• Continued work-study partnership between ALC headquarters and Verbum Dei High School
• Sixth year working with Chamber of Commerce and City of La Cañada Flintridge to drive local Summer Intern Program, this year with students from La Cañada High School
• Feeding the homeless through corporate partnership with Society of St. Vincent de Paul and the Cardinal Manning Center 

"I can't tell you how proud I am of our management team and employees for taking on this feat on a national scale. I've always said that people are our product and we have the best people," continued Allen.

Keep up-to-date with ALC’s commitment as we continue to follow its progress throughout this 40th year.

Allen Lund Company

BELLINGHAM, WA - It's official—Bankruptcy judge Kevin Gross in Delaware has given the OK on Albertsons’ bid to absorb the remnants of Haggen for $106 million.

Announced earlier this month, Albertsons’ deal will not abolish the Haggen brand in its entirety. Of the 29 stores to be purchased by the retailer, 15 in Washington will still carry the Haggen banner, according to the Seattle Times. The last 14, which were for the most part stores that Haggen originally acquired from Albertsons or Safeway stores, will become Albertsons once again.

“We are excited about the opportunity to have the backing of Albertsons and look forward to be part of the Albertsons grocery family,” John Clougher, CEO of Haggen, said in a prior press release. “Haggen has been a part of the Pacific Northwest and the Bellingham community for more than eight decades and we will continue the traditions of operating great Haggen stores focused on community involvement, fresh northwest products and great service.”

Following the court's decision, Albertsons Spokesman Brian Dowling provided the Bellingham Herald with a written statement explaining that the company is pleased with the court approval, adding that the company expects to close on the deal in the next several weeks. Haggen officials have yet to comment as of the time of writing this.

The deal also extends to offering employment to essentially all Haggen workers at these soon-to-be-acquired “core stores.”

“With the sale of these 29 stores to Albertsons, we are optimistic that everyone who works within them will finally be able to have the certainty and stability that they deserve,” UFCW issued in its own statement.

While there may be no more news coming from Haggen any time soon, you can count on AndNowUKnow to update with all the latest industry happenings.

Albertsons Haggen