Sustainable supply
Sustainable Farming
Green5 Strategy
Sustainability Projects
Long term sustainable growth
SONO has strong business values. We approach busines with the aim to deliver sustainable, long-term, values to our shareholders and business partners, as demonstrated through our company sustainability objectives:
- Growing our relationship with our farmers, suppliers, and the local communities in which we operate.
- Reduce our carbon footprint through utilising renewable energy systems and mitigating waste usage.
- Monitor and analyse our environmental impact and initiate sustainability strategies that can benefit the company, community, and environment.
- Reduce our adverse environmental impact through promoting clean energy, sustainable farming techniques, and biodiversity conservation strategies.
- Strive to improve the health and well-being of our farmers and the local communities through healthcare projects, education, and infrastructure development.
- Undertake a continuous improvement in our collection, analysis and initiation of sustainability metrics.
- Use recyclable and reusable packaging, which enables minimising our waste production and reducing our use of natural resources.
Sustainable Farming
SONO has established quality relationships with farmers around the world. By helping them to produce more sustainably, SONO is able to contribute to the development of local businesses, communities and the environment.
We work closely with our local famers, supporting them with resources and expertise to help lower production costs, and improve quality and crop yield.
Through our commitment to innovation in the supply chain, we extend into new areas of supply, introducing new investment and trade. By opening new markets and partnering with fruit farmers to sell their crops directly, without having to sell through local buyers at lower prices, contributes directly to local economies and sustainable farming.
Our Green5
Strategy
As part of our sustainability commitment, we have developed our Green5 strategy. Green5 targets the core commitments SONO has identified for improvement in line with the UN Sustainable Development Goals.
Through establishing 5 fundamental goals, Green5 provides us with a strategic approach to long term sustainability. This enables us to improve upon our core commitments alongside our direct and wider impacts. The Green5 goals:
- Minimise our non-renewable energy and water consumption
- Improve community well-being and skills development
- Minimise waste production and enhance waste management
- Reduce greenhouse gas emissions
- Reduce biodiversity loss
We help enhance supplier capabilities, in order to maintain the highest standards for ethical business practice. This includes raising the standards of governance, transparency and traceability, equality, process management and procurement.
By incorporating Green5 into our business, we are confident that we can achieve a positive and sustainable future for SONO and the communities in which we operate.
Sustainability Projects
Listed below are examples of our commitment to a sustainable future.
We are certain that the incorporation of our Green5 strategy
will lead to the enhancement of our current and future projects.
“60 Decibels” Data Collection initiative
We are working alongside an Impact Data Collection Company, 60 Decibels, with the aim of improving the understanding, communication and contact with our farmers and suppliers, in Ghana and Brazil. Critically, the data collected will highlight areas where we can provide more assistance to our farmers. This data will also assist us assessing how we can make a more meaningful impact to the lives of our suppliers, bringing about a positive improvement in individual and community well-being.
Solar Projects in Ghana
We are installing a 130 kWh Solar power system at our factory in Ghana. This is in line with the UN SDGs and our Green5 commitment to reducing our non-renewable energy usage. Our Solar power facility is forecast for completion by December 2021.
Solar Projects in Brazil
We are continuing to improve our commitment to using renewable energy in Brazil. We are installing our own, in-house, 324kWh Solar power facility which will compliment the supply from our already sustainable sources. This clean energy system has an expected completion date of Spring 2022.
100% Renewable Energy in Brazil
We have been certified by Enel and The International REC Standards, as a consumer of energy that is 100% generated from renewable (wind-generated) sources. This showcases our ongoing commitment to clean energy consumption and our commitment to the 7th and 13th UN SDG’s.
Day Care Centre
In Ghana, we have partnered with the armsaroundthechild.org initiative, establishing an after-school club for local children. The after-school club supports these children with additional clothing, educational resources, and medicine.
Arms Around The Child is a global charity working to build a better and kinder environment for children living in extreme adversity, orphaned, abandoned, at risk of child abuse or trafficking, or living in child headed households. We believe that our partnership with Arms Around The Child demonstrates our commitment to improving the wellbeing of the communities in which we operate.
Community Infrastructure Projects
We aim to initiate infrastructure projects in both Ghana and Brazil each year, making small improvements to the daily lives of our employees, farmers, and the local communities. Our most recent examples include:
- an Aggregation bin installed in the Central Region, Ghana, assisting Lime farmers with harvesting and maintaining yield quality.
- Gunter’s Bridge was established to connect the small town of Asamankese, Eastern Region, Ghana, with neighbouring towns and roadways, by traversing the Ayensu river.
Infrastructure projects such as these have allowed social and economic development to flourish by improving the local quality of life and business.
Purpose-Built Nursery
Sono erected a nursery in Ghana with the objective of supplying new farmers with the necessary planting material for their agriculture projects. The capacity is currently 50,000 seedlings and by the end of 2021, following a recently approved expansion, the nursery will be able to host 90,000 seedlings. This means that Sono will be producing enough seedlings, each year, to provide planting material for over 220 smallholder farms (650 hectares in total). Success could lead to an additional 1040 new jobs created in the agricultural sector for the next 3 consecutive years.
Health Projects
In Brazil and Ghana we host annual healthcare weeks at our factories, as well as in the local communities we operate. The events are arranged to ensure an understanding of basic healthcare needs and provide necessary services as such. Facilitated through interactions with health professionals, psychologists and nutritionists who disseminate knowledge and awareness about chosen themes. Given the recent events and the current situation with Covid-19, we use the events as means to educate the attendees about preventative measures, as well as provide them with a healthcare package on the day. Improving public health has subsequently improved the quality of life for the local communities.
Initiatives for Change
We are continually striving for positive change both within SONO and for the communities in which we operate. We have established an internal sustainability panel, and new members of the SONO team have been appointed to further drive our social and environmental agenda. We look to improve sustainability education and communication throughout all avenues of the business. We believe positive impacts from projects such as these are a fundamental step towards the sustainable future we desire.
SONO is formulating our 2022 (and 2030) sustainability measurement targets. These targets will be declared in our next sustainability report.