Nature Fresh Farms Drives Sustainable Transportation

Nature Fresh Farms of Leamington, Ontario, has pledged to reduce its freight transportation-related emissions by becoming a member of SmartWay. In the past year, Nature Fresh Farms joined the SmartWay Transport Partnership to further its sustainable development and continue its environmental initiatives.

Administered by National Resources Canada (NRCan), SmartWay is free to those interested in becoming members, aiming to help both shippers and carriers move goods efficiently, by maximizing load capacity, and keeping fuel costs and environmental impact at a minimum.

SmartWay is an internationally recognized program that encourages its members to be more aware of their carbon footprint by helping them track fuel consumption and improve their overall performance.

Through their membership, Nature Fresh Farms can use the program to measure the environmental impact of its freight supply and use recommendations from SmartWay to improve and modify its transportation and operation strategies. Nature Fresh Farms’ goal is to have at least 80% of its carrier base SmartWay certified by 2023.

“It has always been important for Nature Fresh Farms to recognize and understand our carbon footprint in every area of our operations,” said Leigh Ann Breault, director of logistics, in a statement. “Making the necessary improvements to our freight supply chain, using the recommendations provided from SmartWay, will only help reinforce our position as an industry leader in sustainability.”

With environmental performance becoming increasingly important as a business metric, more companies have become aware of the benefits of such programs. More than 3,600 North American companies have signed on to the SmartWay partnership, according to the company.

Nature Fresh Farms is a year-round, independent, vertically integrated greenhouse vegetable grower with farms in Leamington, Ontario; Delta, Ohio; and Mexico. Its distribution centers are located in Leamington, Delta, and Laredo, Texas.