FRESHPPACT is owned and operated by Blue Skies Holdings Ltd (Blue Skies), a private limited company headquartered in the United Kingdom. The mission of FRESHPPACT is to bring together industry and research partners to rapidly find transformative solutions to the biggest social and environmental challenges, in the first instance plastic pollution, that exist within fresh produce supply chains rooted in developing or emerging economies.
The main aim of FRESHPPACT is to create a focal platform for Research and Development that enables collaboration within fresh produce supply chains rooted in developing or emerging economies to identify shared high priority social and environmental challenges (e.g., single use plastic packaging, greenhouse gas emissions, pollution, habitat loss, modern-day slavery and living wage) and work with research partners to accelerate the adoption of the most promising solutions through a process of rapid evaluation, testing and adoption.
FRESHPPACT aims to address emerging environmental challenges that are relevant to businesses involved in the production, manufacture, distribution and retail of fresh produce from selected developing or emerging. Stakeholders include retailers, food manufacturers, farmers and their communities.
FRESHPPACT will also engage organisations involved in the research and development, regulation, supply and manufacture of potential solutions. Additional stakeholders will therefore include government, academia, non-governmental organisations and (initially) companies (including start-ups) working in the plastics industry with a particular focus on the development and supply of workwear, agricultural mulch and food grade packaging.
FRESHPPACT follows a simple process to define challenges through an industry consortium and identify and evaluate solutions through a coordinating research and project management partner. The providers of the most promising solutions receive support to conduct commercial trials of which providers of successful solutions go on to receive further support for commercialisation. Knowledge Transfer activities enable wider adoption of successful solutions within industry.
The FRESHPPACT Consortium represents retailers, food manufacturers and agribusinesses involved in the supply of fresh produce sourced from Ghana, Kenya, Senegal, Tanzania and Zambia. The purpose of the consortium is to identify shared high-priority sustainability challenges that represent the interests of its members, develop detailed Challenge Briefs, evaluate proposed solutions, define activity plans for Commercial Trials and Pilots and support in the enablement of knowledge transfer.
Consortium members benefit by being able to:
> Demonstrate action on challenging issues through high profile collaboration.
> Respond to consumer and regulatory pressure on social and environmental issues.
> Make material progress towards meeting ambitious sustainability goals and targets.
> Be the “first to market” with breakthrough solutions, offering attractive PR and marketing benefits.
> Strengthen brand reputation among stakeholders.
> Contribute to world leading research and development that transforms how industries operate.
> Receive regular updates on FRESHPPACT's activities
In addition, members have the opportunity to sponsor challenge funds to be able to have first access to successful commercial solutions. There are two levels of Consortium Membership: Full Members and Associate Members.
There is currently no charge to join the FRESHPPACT Consortium
Full Members of the FRESHPPACT Consortium have voting rights and are expected to attend around six meetings per year. Responsibilities include conducting stakeholder engagement activities, agreeing challenge areas and defining challenge briefs, approving solutions to proceed to Commercial Trials and Pilot and Commercialisation, defining activity plans for Commercial Trials and Pilot and Commercialisation, enabling the marketing and procurement of successful solutions and supporting the Coordinating Research and Project Management Partner in enabling knowledge transfer
Associate Members are voluntary participants in the activities of FRESHPPACT. Associate Members have the opportunity to shape the activities of FRESHPPACT through feedback, promotion and advice on matters such as the selection criteria associated with Challenge Briefs and the technical and commercial feasibility and potential impact of Proposed Solutions.
In addition, we are looking for individuals to join our Solutions Evaluation Group (SEG). This group will be formed by our External Research and Project Management partners (ERPM) at the University of Northampton Centre for Sustainable Business Practices and will help the ERPM evaluate the potential solutions that are discovered through the research, including the call for proposals. If you think you might be interested in joining the SEG, please get in touch.
If you would like to get in touch to find out more or enquire about joining our consortium, please email [email protected]