Joinfruit promotes gender equality by demonstrating its concrete commitment to equality and inclusion with the UNI PdR 125 certification issued by CSQA.
Saluzzo, 01 October 2024
The [event] was held today in the Hall of Honour of the Ancient Town Hall of Saluzzo (CN). award ceremony of UNI PdR 125 certification for gender equality obtained by the OP Joinfruit of Verzuolo (CN), a recognition that represents an important achievement at regional and national level, as well as a virtuous example for all cooperative enterprises in the fruit and vegetable sector and beyond. It has 12 employees, 8 of whom are women, 6 members/leaders and around 200 associated producers/producers, Joinfruit is the first fruit and vegetable producer organisation to be certified by CSQA for Gender Equality., and among the first Italian agricultural companies to achieve this goal.
The delivery was made by the CSQA Director General Maria Chiara Ferrarese, the Certifying Body with which Joinfruit has undertaken the voluntary certification and attestation process which concluded successfully with the issuance of the Gender Equality Certification – Uni PdR 125.
As pointed out by the FAO report “The status of women in agrifood systems” of 2023, the combating gender inequalities in agri-food systems is fundamental for reducing hunger, stimulating economic growth and strengthening resilience to shocks. In its path of sustainable development, the Joinfruit OP, in line with this vision, has implemented a Gender equality management system principally focused on the professional figures who carry out administrative and support activities within the company.
“This certification Explain Bruno Sacchi, Director of Joinfruit - falls within the ESG objectives of Joinfruitthe premise we started from is that sustainability is not just environmental (E), but must also include people at the centre of social (S) and governance (G) principles. For this reason, OP has decided to commit to a journey on gender equality, including obtaining this certification in its Operational Plan 2024.”
It is a path of concrete change, articulated and structured, which foresees the establishment of a Internal Steering Committee “that can guarantee the effectiveness of the actions taken adds Cristina Abrate, Quality Management Manager at Joinfruit and member of the Steering Committee – such as specific training (training courses on gender differences, stereotypes and “unconscious bias”, run by MAN AND ENVIRONMENT, a benefit company providing consultancy and training services), continuous monitoring (procedure for constantly monitoring the application of gender equality principles at all stages of the employment relationship, from recruitment to career management, to pay equity), harassment prevention (concrete measures to prevent all forms of abuse or harassment in the workplace, ensuring a safe and respectful environment for all) and work-life balance, through flexible policies to foster a work-life balance, particularly supporting male and female employees with children.”
“Gender Equality” – says Maria Chiara Ferrarese, CSQA Director General, “It is a current, complex, and delicate issue to address. Results are not achieved quickly or out of “duty” but rather through the dissemination of a new culture, not only corporate but civic, based on equal opportunities and inclusion. It is only through a strategic choice, through daily work and example, that culture spreads and is truly “metabolised” by the social fabric. Voluntary standardisation supports this process through the definition of a shared and recognised methodology. Certification, on the other hand, represents a choice, not an obligation, which denotes transparency and commitment, the demonstration of a “substantial” commitment to employees, stakeholders, and institutions.
The fact that the agricultural sector is also facing these issues represents a big step forward and shows a new sensibility that is progressively maturing to generate a positive impact towards the sustainable growth of society.
Joinfruit's objective is to close the financial year on 30 June 2025 with an attached Impact assessment, which will be the result of months of work on the measurement and formalisation of all business processes. “This is an ambitious goal – Sacchi continues – which demanded solid skills in order to formalise, and consequently be able to recount, what we have built in recent years by increasingly placing people at the centre of our projects. We decided to undertake the journey independently, which made the satisfaction even greater. We were obliged to engage with recent regulations, and in doing so, even to ourselves, everything we had already done became clearer and more evident. In fact, our OP has always been open to dialogue with the people who work with us, and this certification is not just a tool to guarantee a process, but something that further rewards our organisation.”
Joinfruit has always cultivated inclusivity and attention to people, with projects ranging from social agriculture to collaboration with associations that work to promote the social inclusion of disabled or disadvantaged people. Furthermore, a few years ago the consortium acquired the model 231, attesting to a commitment to fairness and transparency, even externally.
Joinfruit's commitment is to disseminate the principles and values of certification and its adoption, initially to all companies within the organisation and subsequently to all stakeholders: “We are aware that the path towards equality is still a long one. – concludes Sacchi – we are determined to achieve this goal, because we firmly believe that it can generate positive repercussions for our territory, and also for our entire sector.”
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