We are delighted to announce that Jac. Vandenberg, Inc. officially became a Planet Mark Certified Business on Friday, May 19, 2023. We are excited to have achieved this milestone on our Net-Zero journey. This certification further demonstrates our commitment to driving down emissions and tackling the climate crisis.

WHO IS PLANET MARK AND HOW DOES THE PROCESS WORK?

Planet Mark is a sustainability certification and net zero provider for organizations and the built environment. For over a decade, Planet Mark has supported organizations to radically reduce carbon emissions, create operational efficiencies, enhance profits and work towards the global transition to net zero.

We approached Planet Mark in January 2023 to begin the certification process. Planet Mark's sustainability experts met with us to set our reporting boundary and provide guidance on data collection. The categories of carbon measurement include: buildings (our office sites), travel, waste, water, and procurement.

The responsibility was on our team to collect all the required data and the associated evidence (which can vary from utility bills, to receipts, to photos of meters, etc.) and then upload everything into Planet Mark's web portal. We had 12 weeks from the time we signed on with Planet Mark to collect and submit our data.

Once all data was submitted, the Planet Mark team reviewed and validated all the information and evidence. If there were any questions, the Planet Market team would reach out (either via email or Zoom) and we'd work together to get the answers or clarification needed.

Once Planet Mark completed their review and found our data to be in order we were notified that we achieved Planet Mark Certification. We were issued an annual report with a complete carbon footprint, our measured contribution to the UN Sustainable Development Goals and general recommendations on how to improve and advance on our sustainability journey.

JAC. VANDENBERG'S CERTIFICATION REPORT AND DETAILS OF OUR IMPACT

Please click the button below to view our 2022 Planet Mark Certification Report.

Sustainable Development Goals
Within our report, you will find that we directly and measurably contribute to 3 of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). This is the number of goals we contribute towards simply by measuring and reducing our carbon footprint with Planet Mark. It does not include any other goals we also contribute towards through the other actions we take on our sustainability journey.

We are pleased to contribute to the following 3 SDGs.

Protecting the World's Rainforests
Through Planet Mark’s partnership with Cool Earth, one acre of rainforest in Peru has been protected in our name.

Protecting our rainforests is one of our best lines of defense against climate change. Cool Earth is helping rainforest communities to protect nearly 100,000 hectares of biodiversity rich rainforest across three continents. Behind this huge milestone are thousands of families whose futures have been transformed.

To read more about the Asháninka people, whom we are supporting through our Planet Mark membership and Cool Earth contribution, please click here.

Supporting Environmental Education Through The Eden Project
Planet Mark recognizes that we need nature to address the greatest challenges of our time. That’s why it contributes 5% of its Business Certification fees to the Eden Project, an educational charity which connects us with each other and the living world, exploring how we can work towards a better future.

Eden's global mission is to create a movement that builds relationships between people and the natural world to demonstrate the power of working together for the benefit of all living things.

WHAT'S NEXT ON OUR JOURNEY?

As far as Planet Mark goes, we have our targets to achieve next year, which is a total carbon reduction of 0.9 tCO2e, and a carbon reduction per employee of 0.03 tCO2e (a reduction of 5% respectively).

More generally, we will maintain our focus on operating as sustainably and as responsibly as we can; something which is core to our strategy here at Jac. Vandenberg, Inc. We will continue to share every step of our journey so that other businesses can take inspiration from us and/or copy us, and continue to campaign for a better world which is more just and equitable for all.

We continue to set our sights on collaborating with innovators on sustainable packaging solutions for our fresh produce that provides for a true circular economy. Beyond that, we will continue to do the best work we possibly can for our clients, so that the positive impact they can have on people and the planet is as great as it can be.

Thank you to the amazing Planet Mark team for doing what they do to tackle the climate crisis and create a brighter future for all. And thank you as always to you, for following our journey and supporting us. We appreciate you!