"Since our incorporation, Vineland Research and Innovation Centre (Vineland) has supported the Canadian horticultural industry and government stakeholders in addressing innovation challenges by actively assisting and engaging them with focused and effective outcome-based research, development, and commercialization support through our innovation strategy," writes Vineland's CEO Ian Potter.
"This support is driven by Vineland's Mission to improve the economic viability, sustainability, and competitiveness of horticulture in Canada.
"Over the last few years, Vineland has maintained a focused, but unwritten framework for sustainability within our support for the horticultural sector as well as our own internal operations. However, with the ever-changing external business environment, it was deemed timely in December 2022, that sustainability be codified in our business and operations and the Vineland Board of Directors approved the development and execution of Vineland's Environment, Social and Governance (ESG) Strategy and its associated operational framework. Through the lens of our ESG Strategy, Vineland manages and promotes:
- The support and services we offer and the projects we deliver
- The management of the outcomes and impacts of our own operations to increase our positive reputation as a sustainability leader
- Our commitment to setting leading standards of accountability that deliver optimal outcomes for all stakeholders.
"At the outset of the strategy development, Vineland conducted an ESG material assessment to identify and assess relevant ESG factors for the organization. This was cross-referenced with Vineland's existing risk management framework in terms of impact and likelihood to assess the potential repercussions of each ESG factor.
"Based on the ranking from the risk process, Vineland categorized its ESG factors into three levels of materiality to be addressed over the next few years. This ensured that we were not immediately overwhelming our ability to deliver on our operations or our ESG aspirations. 2023 was a foundation and baseline year for Vineland's operations under the ESG Strategy.
"We remain committed to advancing our strategic direction, building on past successes, and addressing areas for improvement to create long-term value for Vineland, our employees, and our stakeholders while contributing positively to society, the environment, and the economy. The 2024-25 Innovation Report's theme this year is "Sustainability" and it showcases Vineland's support to the industry and government stakeholders and the importance of innovation to drive sector sustainability (in all its facets)."
If you wish to read the full Vineland 2024/25 Innovation Report, click here.
For more information:
Vineland Research
[email protected]
www.vinelandresearch.com