Introduction

It is understood that the environmental performance of the Canadian horticulture value chain is of great interest to consumers, retailers; and other buyers, and like other sectors, both edible and ornamental segments of the industry recognize the value of measuring and reducing the environmental impact of their own operations and that of their supply chains. The value gained by undertaking these initiatives is not only by helping to mitigate harmful environmental outcomes and, but equally as important is to enhance the profitability of the sector through a reduction of wasteful practices and enabling the increased efficiency of operation while maintaining market access.

The Energy and Environment Working Group (EEWG) of the Horticulture Value Chain Roundtable (HVCRT) is currently pursuing the development of options for environmental performance measurement in the horticulture sector. The initial step for this project is the distribution of the below survey to examine the willingness and capacity of Canada’s horticulture sector to measure its environmental performance and remain competitive in responding to new regulatory and market-based environmental requirements from retailers, processors, restaurant chains, consumers and governments alike. This will also help identify any significant gaps in knowledge and related challenges being faced by industry members. Information gathered from this survey will form the basis of future EEWG activities such as the possible development of standardized tools for horticultural producers to measure relevant environmental indicators.

Your input into this process will provide valuable insight into how the EEWG should proceed with its next steps and we are genuinely grateful for your commitment to finishing the entire survey which will take no more than 5-10 minutes to complete. Please be assured that your answers will remain strictly confidential, anonymous and will be aggregated with all the other respondents.

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1. Where is/are your primary location(s) of operation?

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2. Within the Horticulture Value Chain, what is your primary activity? (choose one)

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3. Which of the following products do you primarily deal with? (check all that apply)

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4. Years of operation of your business? (choose one)

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5. Total number of employees (including, full time, part time, seasonal etc.)

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6. Which words would you most associate with the subject of environmental performance/sustainability?

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7. On a scale of 1-10, 1 being the highest and 10 being the lowest, how much of a priority are issues related to environmental performance to your business?

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8. What/who are the main drivers for enhanced environmental performance related to your business? (check all that apply)

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9. What are the greatest barriers to making new investments in environmental performance measures for your business? (check all that apply)

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10. Which environmental performance criteria (if any) does your business voluntarily measure on a regular basis? (Check all that apply)

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11. What is the most important reason you have chosen to measure the above criteria? (Choose one)

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12. Who are your main customers/buyers? (check all that apply):

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13. Which of the following customers/buyers are currently or planning for the inclusion of environmental performance considerations in their sourcing policies? (check all that apply) :

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14. Which environmental performance criteria (if any) are you required to measure and report on for any of your customers/buyers ? (check all that apply)

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15. What are the biggest challenges in meeting these demands (if any)?

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16. What would you consider as a reasonable Return on Investment (ROI) time frame for investments related to enhancing environmental performance? (Please check one)

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17. Has your company conducted any life cycle assessments/analyses to determine the overall environmental impacts of your products/services?

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18. Which are the greatest benefits that you could obtain from being better able to measure the environmental performance of your operation (cost savings, greater market share, higher margins, etc.)? Please list and if possible, detail how these benefits could be realized:

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