Greenwashing , future product , and sustainability prosody were front and center in the 2021 Global CEA Census Report bring out today .
In the third annual Census Report , produced by Agritecture and WayBeyond , raiser in the Controlled Environment Agriculture ( CEA ) sector shared their insights on sustainability and their thoughts for the next 12 month .
Click here for the stark report .
“ Last twelvemonth ’s Census reported on the encroachment of Covid-19 and the optimism felt toward the hereafter of the industriousness . This year concentre on sustainability . It ’s a topic that is growing in importance for governments , businesses , and young generation passionate about the impact of nutrient production on the climate , ” tell Darryn Keiller , CEO & Founder of WayBeyond .
“ There were a couple of key points that surprise us all , including the interrogative on whether respondents believe the CEA manufacture is susceptible to excessive ‘ greenwashing ’ . 70 % said yes . The fact that most growers consider lead astray sustainability entropy is being shared is of concern and I ’d say not entirely without merit , although this is not just an effect for CEA , but for agriculture as a whole . Further research would be required to support the accuracy of their beliefs . ”
Fast - moving industryAccording to S2 G Ventures , orbicular investment funds in CEA was US$ 2 billion in 2020 digest advance applied science for unexampled and existing farm operations . This shows the fast stride at which the manufacture is moving .
“ From the Census , 72 % of respondents wait an betterment in net margin in the next twelvemonth , and 81 % plan to increase their production arena in the next year . This is a positive for everyone involved in the sector , ” says Keiller .
What has been missing from a stack of the excitement , however , is a deeper psychoanalysis of the sector ’s innate resource use and overall sustainability issue . Henry Gordon - Smith , Founder and CEO of Agritecture , explains that the lack of transparency is a endangerment for the whole diligence .
“ In my ten years in this sector , the evolution has been phenomenal , but the transparency and discourse around sustainability has n’t boost further than the common comment . As diligence consultants , we ’ve observe many instances of land and water savings , beneficial Labour Party conditions , and increase production freshness - among other positive effect - when you compare CEA production with traditional arena - grown produce , but we ’ve also discover illustration of case-by-case cognitive process relying on external casing studies to make sweeping sustainability claims , rather than valuate their own data . ”
Much room for improvement“The Census showed us that there is still room for improvement when it comes to traverse and sharing these metrics . What we call for to see more of is accountability . If you ’re doing cracking thing - turn out it . evidence your story with fact and data to back it up . transparence is on the dot what consumer want when it comes to the solid food they buy , and we require to be telling those positive , evidence - base stories that exist out there . Simply applying general industry claim to any one case-by-case operation is likely what ’s leading so many in the sphere to finger that there is extravagant greenwashing . ”
This yr , 60 % of respondents were Founders and/or CEO . The annual Census of CEA operators is one of the few spheric measurement of diligence player .
“ In many ways , the findings this year on sustainability promote more question than answers and should bring to calorie-free opportunity for new inquiry initiatives . Our two company , Agritecture and WayBeyond , will continue to seek ways to get more progress from our amazing community of CEA raiser around the human beings , ” say Gordon - Smith .
For more information : WayBeyondwww.waybeyond.io
Agritecturewww.agritecture.com
