Responsible Supply Chain

Sustainable Juice

Our Approach

Juice is the only business where LDC grows agricultural goods itself. From the 36 producing citrus farms we manage in Brazil, through to our juice merchandizing activities in destination markets, our sustainability efforts span the full value chain.

We recognize LDC’s key role in encouraging the adoption of sustainable production practices by third-party fruit suppliers, in line with our own sustainability policies, as well as legal and industry requirements.

Certification & Partnerships

All 36 LDC-managed productive citrus farms are verified to Farm Sustainability Assessment (FSA) Gold level by the Sustainable Agriculture Initiative (SAI) Platform.

In addition, 32 of our farms are Rainforest Alliance Certified™ at two levels: farm level certification and chain of custody certification. Chain of custody certification tracks a product from a certified farm to its final destination, giving consumers full confidence in the product’s supply chain.

The Rainforest Alliance certification has strict standards covering:

Improved livelihoods and human wellbeing
Effective planning and management
Biodiversity conservation
Natural resources conservation

All our juice facilities maintain compliance with SMETA requirements and are Sedex members. Our industrial facilities in São Paulo State, Brazil (Matão, Bebedouro, Santos) and Ghent, Belgium are also Rainforest Alliance Certified™, while our facility in Paranavaí, Paraná State, is certified by Fairtrade.

To increase volumes sourced from verified sustainable farming practices, we support citrus fruit suppliers attain verification in line with the SAI Platform’s Farm Sustainability Assessment (SAI/FSA) requirements, by providing technical consulting, financing third-party audits, and accompanying them, as FSA Group Manager, promoting their continuous improvement and adherence to the program. So far, more than 55 farms in Brazil have adhered to the program.

Sustainable Citrus Value Chain

Learn about how LDC is building sustainable solutions into the citrus value chain from grove to glass.

Farming

Regenerative Agriculture

In Brazil, we are actively testing innovative technologies and practices that target more sustainable fruit production through the implementation of regenerative agriculture practices in our groves.

In 2024, with the support of both in-house and independent experts, LDC initiated a detailed analysis of our farming practices in the Brazilian citrus belt, with the goal of designing a regenerative agricultural framework tailored specifically to our operations. This marks a key milestone in our journey toward integrating more regenerative agriculture strategies across our citrus operations.

Protecting Biodiversity

We strive to reduce the impacts of our operations on the environment and promote the preservation of biodiversity. We follow our Biodiversity Protection and Conservation Plans, and since 2020, have planted more than 150,000 tress on or around LDC-managed citrus farms in Brazil.

One of the reforestation strategies we employ is ‘nucleation’, which relies on planting ‘islands’ of vegetation as focal areas of recovery. These islands are composed of species with the ecological capacity to significantly improve the environment and facilitate occupation of the area by other species.

Sourcing

Working with Suppliers

Since 2015, LDC has engaged with its fruit suppliers through its ‘Programa Compartilhar‘ (Share Program), which aims to strengthen socio-environmental sustainability across the sector. The program addresses themes such as good agriculture practices, new technologies, responsible pest management (including biological control), sustainable farm management, rights and duties in hiring workers (including issues related to migrant workers), and workplace health and safety.

When maintaining commercial relationships with suppliers, we insist on their compliance with our sustainability standards, including the socio-environmental standards set out in our Conduct Manual for Raw Material Suppliers, which all third-party contracted citrus fruit suppliers are required to sign.

Since 2023, we’ve strengthened the monitoring of our fruit suppliers (existing and new) in relation to LDC’s commitment to eliminate deforestation and conversion of native vegetation of high conservation value for agricultural purposes from all our supply chains, by the end of 2025.

Producing

Sustainable Operations

Every part of the fruit is utilized in our juice production process: juice is extracted, oils are recovered, and peel is dried for pectin production or animal feed. Oil essences and aromas are primarily used by the flavor and fragrance industries.

In addition, we are making significant strides in measuring and improving our environmental footprint during fruit cultivation and juice production across the following areas:

Energy consumption
CO2 emissions
Water usage
Waste management

Distributing

Eco-Efficient Fleet

We have invested close to US$40 million in two purpose-built, eco-efficient vessels, both operating since 2020. These state-of-the-art vessels are dedicated to the transport of citrus juices and ingredients in climate-controlled tanks, from our export terminal in Brazil to destination markets in Europe and North America. In addition to increasing shipping capacity by 20% versus the previous fleet, the new vessels give us more autonomy to operate across preferred export routes, increasing efficiency and helping to reduce fuel consumption.

Caring for People

LDC is an important employer in the Citrus Belt, Brazil’s main citrus juice production region, contributing to economic and social projects that aim to improve the livelihoods and the quality of life for local communities.

8,000+ people employed across juice farming activities in Brazil.

Delivering a work environment aligned to industry best practice standards.

100s of training sessions covering safety, human rights & sustainable agricultural practices.

Established a human rights framework specific to juice supply chain risks.

Case Studies

Explore examples of how our Juice Platform is harnessing innovation, collaboration and in-house expertise to drive forward a more sustainable juice value chain.

Juntos Pelo Meio Ambiente

The ‘Together For The Environment’ program was launched in 2012, aiming to raise awareness among students from public primary schools about environmental issues in communities where LDC-managed farms are located.

The program covers essential environmental topics such as:

Preservation of fauna and flora;
Sustainable agricultural practices;
The ecological balance of natural ecosystems, including their importance and purpose;
How sustainable practices can improve community living conditions;
The students’ connection to their local environment.

In 2024, for the first time, the initiative expanded to include our industrial operations and the Port of Santos, in addition to LDC-managed farms. This expansion allowed us to reach our entire juice operation in Brazil, directly impacting approximately 25 cities, 38 schools, and 2000 children, and was supported by LDC employees who participated as volunteers.

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Technology-enabled Traceability

Trace.com, LDC’s juice traceability portal, allowed us to be the first juice supplier to track products from grove to glass using blockchain technology. For example, on our Montebelo Brasil juice bottles, simply scanning a QR code provides product data such as origination and processing information, quality indicators and certifications.

The technology offers customers and consumers:

Rapid access to traceability information;
Transparent supply chain transaction data, avoiding fraud and encouraging increasingly responsible production;
Assurance on product origin and reliability, for clarity in consumer choices.

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