Environment

EnvironmenT

SUSTAINABILITY & CLIMATE CHANGE

Whether it is for compliance or social responsibility purposes, Corpolgia can support the development of carbon strategies thanks to a longstanding expertise in regulated and voluntary carbon markets.

Corpolgia is a key partner in the preparation of master plans, aiming to foster economic development and ensure compliance with environmental and social standards.

Corpolgia offers also encompasses climate change mitigation and adaptation, thanks to a deep understanding of greenhouse gas reduction technologies and processes and to a direct involvement in resilience and disaster risk management programs.

Deliverables

Corpolgia offers Key sustainability services such as:

Strategic environmental and social assessments
Sustainability studies
Environmental and social impact assessments
Environmental modelling and monitoring
Mapping of Ecosystem Accounts
Climate change mitigation and adaptation
Master and sustainability planning

Corpolgia also offers Key Climate Change services such as:

Climate Action Plans for sustainable operation of different types of built environments
Assist in reporting on Corporate Social Responsibility activities.
Assist in reporting on Corporate Environmental Responsibility activities.
GHG inventories
Carbon Footprint quantification of a product
GHG emissions calculation, associated with an event

Post-Harvest Management

POST-HARVEST MANAGEMENT

Post-harvest management is important for several reasons. Here are some of the key reasons:

· Minimizing food waste: post-harvest management helps to minimize food waste by reducing losses due to spoilage, damage, and contamination. Proper handling and storage of harvested produce can significantly extend its shelf life and reduce the amount of food that goes to waste.

· Ensuring food safety: post-harvest management is critical for ensuring that harvested produce is safe to eat. Proper handling and storage can help to prevent the growth of harmful bacteria and reduce the risk of foodborne illnesses.

· Maximizing market value: post-harvest management can help to maximize the value of harvested produce in the marketplace. By ensuring high quality and long shelf life, farmers can sell their products at a premium price and gain a competitive advantage in the market.

· Supporting economic development: post-harvest management can also support economic development by creating employment opportunities and increasing the income of farmers. When farmers are able to sell high-quality produce at a premium price, they can increase their profits and invest in their farms and communities.

Overall, post-harvest management is important because it helps to ensure food security, food safety, and economic development. By implementing best practices for handling, storing, and transporting harvested produce, farmers can minimize food waste, maximize market value, and contribute to a sustainable food system.

Post-harvest misconduct can cause significant losses of food and economic value. Here are some statistics that demonstrate the extent of the damage caused by post-harvest misconduct:

1. According to the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), one-third of all food produced globally is lost or wasted, with post-harvest losses accounting for a significant portion of this waste.

2. In developing countries, post-harvest losses can be as high as 50% for certain crops, leading to significant economic losses for farmers and food insecurity for the population.

3. In sub-Saharan Africa, for example, post-harvest losses of fruits and vegetables can range from 25% to 50%, which can have a significant impact on the livelihoods of smallholder farmers.

4. According to a report by the World Bank, post-harvest losses of grains in sub-Saharan Africa can range from 20% to 30%, leading to economic losses of up to $4 billion per year.

5. In the United States, post-harvest losses of fresh produce are estimated to be between 20% and 30%, with a value of up to $20 billion per year.

These statistics highlight the significant economic and social impact of post-harvest losses and the importance of improving post-harvest management practices to reduce food waste and increase food security.

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There are several standards used for post-harvest handling of agricultural products. Here are some of the most important ones:1. Quality standards: This includes establishing a set of criteria that define the acceptable quality of the harvested produce, including its appearance, color, size, texture, and taste.2. Packaging standards: This refers to the materials and techniques used to package the harvested produce to protect it from physical damage, contamination, and spoilage. The packaging should also be easy to transport, store, and display.3. Storage standards: This includes establishing the ideal conditions for storing harvested produce, including temperature, humidity, ventilation, and lighting. The storage area should also be free from pests and other contaminants.4. Handling standards: This refers to the procedures used to handle harvested produce, including sorting, grading, washing, and sanitizing. The goal is to minimize physical damage and prevent the spread of diseases and pests.5. Transportation standards: This includes the methods and equipment used to transport harvested produce from the farm to the market or processing facility. The transportation should be safe, efficient, and timely to minimize product losses.6. Traceability standards: This refers to the ability to track the movement of harvested produce from the farm to the final consumer. Traceability is essential for identifying the source of any contamination or quality issues and for ensuring food safety.These standards are important to ensure the quality and safety of harvested produce and to maximize its value in the marketplace.

FOOD Safety

QUALITY & FOOD SAFETY

For a company that wants to reassure customers about the quality and safety of their products, CORPOLGIA along with our partners offer several certification services: ISO standards (ISO 22000, ISO 9001, ISO 22005) and retail standards (GSFS-BRC, IFS, IFA/Global G .A.P, QS, FSSC 22000).

These tools provide good support to businesses and they are recognized by the market.

Food safety is considered as a consumer right and all food companies are forced to guarantee it.
Therefore, the priority is for the business to comply with current legislation concerning food safety, which places a duty on any food business operator to ensure the compliance of all products it places on the market.

A key part of ensuring compliance is self-assessment, looking at the legislation in force and checking that the company is meeting the legal standards as a minimum.

Areas to focus on include:

• Risk Analysis and Management
• Possible risk communication systems and procedures
• Product traceability
• Clear and appropriate labeling

EU regulations define the mandatory targets, but how to achieve these targets is at the discretion of each company.

CORPOLGIA along with our partners are fully experienced in all such issues is able to offer a wide range of services, helping the client in choosing the most suitable methods and certification options to compete successfully in the market.

PRODUCT CERTIFICATION & TRACEABILITY

Voluntary product certification stems from the modern marketing needs of positioning, enhancing and diversifying agricultural products that possess special characteristics not required by current regulations.

These characteristics can then be communicated to the consumer.

It may be certification for business-to-consumer reasons, which is communicated directly via the label of the finished product or certification for business-to-business (B2B), related mainly to private standards.

In the B2C framework, certification is a useful tool to communicate to the market (customers, consumers and the general public) that the products fulfill the requirements stated (see Gluten-Free).

B2B certifications are aimed at facilitating trade between sector operators (GSFS-BRC, IFS, Global G.A.P, QS).

The goal is to provide guarantees to buyers using certifiable standards as the common base upon which to build.

The element often present within product regulations is the traceability of foodstuff and its ingredients, which also has a specific reference standard, ISO 22005, dedicated to supply chain traceability systems.

The certification of the supply chain starts from the assumption that companies are united by contractual ties to form a sort of enlarged company (the supply chain), and that there is a coordinator tasked with getting the final goods to market, who then takes responsibility for the compliance of finished products.

The management of the supply chain allows the integration of the agricultural sector within the quality systems of the food chain, where producers and processors work together to ensure product integrity.

CUSTOMER SPECIFIC INSPECTIONS

There are sometimes areas where the scope of audits against accredited Standards does not fully satisfy your company’s specific requirements.

We offer customised second-party audits to cover all parts of your key policies, procedures, brand standards and any specific requirements that your internal procedures demand.

Using a comprehensive web based system, we can then report back on any non-conformances found, enabling you to understand any key areas of improvement needed.
More in-depth management reports are available, allowing a more strategic look at results, trends and actions.

Key benefits:

• Ensures your requirements are implemented throughout the supply base
• Consistency is delivered through our experienced audit team
• Automatic notification (and option of managing closures) of supplier’s non-conformances saves you time and resources
• Identifies possible weaknesses in your supply chain and/or brand, providing protection and product integrity.

We can help with:

· Developing and implementing taylor made inspection programmes

· Providing a well trained and experienced technical team to assist with your technical queries

· Our strong international presence, policed via our own rigorous technical standards

· Our constant innovation, adapting best practices and legal requirements into customised standards

· Providing a standalone service or a bolt-on inspection to existing audit programmes

· Crisis management, using our team of experienced technical experts

SUPPLIER MANAGEMENT SERVICES

Your business is built around your reputation.
Therefore, it is essential that you protect that reputation at every stage and in particular, those areas that you do not directly control.

One such area is your supply chain, where it is critical that your suppliers deliver the goods and service you require, on time and to the correct level of quality.

We can help you manage your supply chain through a variety of services, designed with you, to ensure your suppliers conform to your standards and specifications, allowing you to focus on your business.

Working with you, we would select the most appropriate services for your business and your suppliers, tailor them to your exact requirements and communicate these requirements on your behalf.

These services include:

· Supplier Approval Management

· Review of Specifications

· Product Verification

· Label Reviews and Legal Checks

· Complaint Management

· Bespoke Assessments

In summary, our team of experienced technical experts can:

· Help you protect your brand and reputation

· Manage your supply chain’s compliance consistently and without the distraction to your day to day business

· Help reduce fines, legal situations and other disruptions to your business

· Provide trend analysis and strategic reporting on your supply chain, to help you make commercial decisions

FOREST CERTIFICATION

PEFC (Program for the Endorsement of Forest Certification schemes) is the world's largest forest certification system, based on the criteria and indicators defined during the Ministerial Conferences on the Protection of Forests in Europe (Helsinki 1993, Lisbon 1998).

The PEFC standard certifies the full timber supply chain:

It certifies the production stage with the scheme GFS - Sustainably Managed Forest.
The organization looking to be certified, must implement a management system in accordance with criteria and indicators in the PEFC standard. Essentially, the Standard checks the management and use of forests and forestry land from the sustainable development point of view.
It certifies the processing stage with the scheme CoC - Chain of Custody.
In order to be certified, a company must be able to guarantee the traceability of wood as a raw material used during production must assure that the timber comes from a certified forest.

PEFC certification enables companies to use the PEFC logo on certified products, both for the GFS-Sustainable Forest Management and for the CoC - Chain of Custody.
This gives greater visibility and credibility to the certified products, possibly leading to bigger market opportunities.

GFS - SUSTAINABLY MANAGED FOREST

A forest is managed in a sustainable manner when:

The amount of cut timber is never greater than the amount that grows in the forest.
After cutting, the trees are helped to renew naturally or replanted.
Habitats of plants and wildlife are protected, as are natural features (climate, soil, water).
The rights and welfare of workers, owners and local populations are respected.
Local development is encouraged

COC – CHAIN OF CUSTODY

Chain of Custody certification is a system for tracking certified material from the forest to the finished product, providing a guarantee that timber and paper comes only from legal logging.

CoC also fulfills obligations provided by the Regulation (EU) of the European Parliament and by the Council, No 995/2010 on October 20 2010, and published in the EU Official Journal on November 12, 2010, which establishes “…the obligations of operators who place timber and timber products on the market”.