Some of the actions we perform for social sustainability include
Promoting a territorial balance in the region by encouraging the development of rural communities, as a way to address the issue of demographic losses in small towns and villages.
Collaborating with local communities and NGOs
Developing stable employment relationships with our workers, based on mutual trust and respect.
Promoting the sale of natural foods and encouraging healthy diets.
Economic
At Unió, our business model is focused on economic sustainability. We operate as a cooperative, where our agricultural partners are the owners of the business and participants in our decision-making process.
Our activities generate a positive economic impact in the communities where we work, by directly and indirectly creating business opportunities and jobs.
Some of the actions we perform for economic sustainability include
Operating as a cooperative, or in other words, maintaining a participatory business model.
Finding new ways to maximise added value for the types of crops our growers produce, by constantly developing new and better ingredients and snack products made from nuts and carob.
Working to ensure an economically sustainable future for rural communities and the next generation of farmers.
Ensuring that the work we do also generates other local business opportunities, such as in the finance, legal, insurance, and IT sectors.
Environment
We take care of our environment, because the region where we work is also our home. We understand that everything we do generates some form of environmental impact, so we analyse that impact in detail as a way of becoming more efficient every day.
It all begins on the farms. At Unió Nuts, our products are grown using traditional farming as well as more intensive modern methods. We have specialists and technicians who advise our growers about the best agronomic practices, to find the right balance between yields, sustainability, and efficiency.
Through our collaboration with Iberian Smart Financial Agro (ISFA), we are carrying out a project designed to allow operation of some of the most highly modernised almond farms in Europe, which are characterised by minimum water consumption and extremely low atmospheric CO2 emissions.
Some of the actions we perform for environmental sustainability include
Practicing regenerative agriculture, such as through the use of cover crops, organic mulch and compost, and recycled field waste.
Implementing an environmental management system that applies to all of our processes.
Using efficient mechanisation for harvesting.
Reducing our water footprint, such as through the use of smart irrigation systems that can analyse weather conditions and make use of data from onsite sensors.
Finding ways to minimise the use of chemical pesticides and fertilisers reducing our carbon footprint.
Helping to preserve biodiversity, such as by installing insect shelters and protecting vegetation communities and bird nesting areas.
Using less plastic and cardboard in our packaging.
Increasing the use of renewable energies and improving energy efficiency, with 900,000 kWh of solar energy produced each year, with this figure continuing to increase.
Sustainability
Social
People always come first.
This is why we believe in the importance of a respectful work environment, with equal opportunities and stable employment. We also know that achieving these aims is important in rural communities, because we want to see young farmers in the fields, and moreover, we need them, to help keep our operations active and to continue our promotion of innovation and competitiveness in the sector.