+33 680 38 14 46
Footprint methodology ready for fruit and vegetables
PE | Freshfel Europe
The Fresh Produce PEFCR methodology coordinated by Freshfel Europe is now finalized and moving into the next steps for its implementation in the fruit and vegetable sector.
The FreshProducePEFCR was developed to address the growing need for a standardized environmental footprint methodology for the fresh produce sector, in light of the EU environmental footprint accountability requirements and the increasing transparency demands from the supply chain and consumers. To that end, Freshfel Europe and its members launched in 2022 the Environmental Footprint Initiative to develop together a fresh fruit and vegetable environmental footprint methodology. Called “Fresh Produce PEFCR”, the methodology includes a database and digital tools that have been broadly accepted by the industry, stakeholders, and consumers.
Harmonized solution
The Technical Secretariat (TS) of the Fresh Produce PEFCR has worked in the past years on a harmonized solution for the sector that is aligned with the Product Environmental Footprint (PEF) methodology as recommended by the EU, to enhance the sector’s sustainability and maintain its competitiveness. The Fresh Produce PEFCR follows a holistic approach, which covers 16 indicators to measure the environmental impact of a product, ranging from water to land use.
Now published
The technical work on the Fresh Produce PEFCR methodology, which was conducted by Wageningen Social & Economic Research (WUR), concluded at the end of 2025 with two workshops on the choice of energy allocation for Combined Heat Power (CHP) systems, to ensure that the most accurate and suitable models could be used in the calculations. During the workshops, a consensus was reached between LCA-experts, growers, and other stakeholders that exergy allocation for CHP systems was the best option to reflect the CHP’s environmental impact and provide the right incentives for growers. The Fresh Produce PEFCR is now published and available on WUR’s library as well as Freshfel’s website.
Next step: adoption and implementation
As the development phase of the methodology comes to an end, the project now moves to the next step for the Fresh Produce PEFCR: its adoption and implementation by the wide variety of actors in the fresh produce business. An online webinar with interested digital tool providers is being planned for Q1 of 2026, to be followed by a meeting with the retailers. Source: Freshfel Europe.
For more information on the implementation of the PEFCR for fresh produce, you can write here.
