How Wonderful Company's Sustainability Efforts Can Help Independents Attract Eco-conscious Shoppers

With sustainability as a key purchase driver for today's shoppers, IGA Red Oval Partner The Wonderful Company serves as an example of a leading brand investing heavily in eco-friendly practices across their operations. Their investment and Red Oval Partnership provides independent grocers with a powerful opportunity to appeal to sustainability- and health-focused shoppers by sharing stories like The Wonderful Company's while stocking high-quality citrus, produce, pistachios, and more.

A Farm-to-Shelf Commitment to a “Healthy Planet”

Wonderful Citrus operates under a simple but powerful mission: delivering healthy products while supporting a healthy planet. Their sustainability strategy focuses on these key areas, which embed sustainability across the entire supply chain:

1. Water Stewardship: Doing More With Less

Water is one of agriculture’s most critical resources, especially in drought-prone regions like California. Wonderful has made major strides in using water more efficiently:

• 100% micro-irrigation across California citrus crops
• Use of satellite data and more than 2,600 weekly field measurements to optimize watering
• Farming practices that are nearly 10% more efficient than industry standards

Beyond the fields, they save over 3 million gallons of water annually through innovative sanitation methods and recycle over 1 million gallons of water each year at their juice facility. They also lead in water banking, which stores water underground during wet years for future use, and is considered a gold standard in water management.

2. Clean Energy and Carbon Reduction

Wonderful has been tracking its carbon footprint since 2019 to drive measurable improvements. Key initiatives include:

• Commitment to 100% renewable electricity in the U.S. by 2025
• Large-scale solar installations, including millions of square feet of panels
• Use of electric forklifts and EV trucking partnerships
• Installation of 60+ EV chargers for employees

On the farming side, after transitioning to renewable diesel, they have reduced emissions by 64% compared to if they had continued to use conventional diesel.

3. Sustainable Farming Practices

Wonderful’s approach to farming focuses on working with nature, not against it. They:

• Use no-till farming and cover crops to improve soil health
• Use integrated pest management, reducing reliance on chemical pesticides
• Eliminated of chemical herbicides in some regions
• Implement precision agriculture to minimize inputs and waste

They also leverage innovative tools like pheromone-based pest control, significantly reducing pesticide use across thousands of acres.

4. Responsible Packaging and Circular Solutions

Packaging is another major focus area, where they are using 100% recyclable cardboard packaging (eliminating wax coatings), and 100% responsibly-sourced paper (FSC/SFI certified), in addition to ongoing efforts to reduce overall material use.

Across other product lines, they’ve also transitioned to recycled plastic (rPET) packaging with a significantly lower carbon footprint.

5. Waste Reduction and Upcycling

Wonderful is working toward a circular system where little goes to waste:

• Citrus byproducts are turned into essential oils, cattle feed, and cleaning products
• Juice processing creates usable outputs instead of landfill waste
• Millions of gallons of water and thousands of tons of materials are reused annually

In other operations, they are targeting over 98% landfill diversion through recycling and upcycling programs.

How Independent Grocers Can Bring This Story to Life

Shoppers don’t always know the sustainability efforts behind the products they buy, but grocers can bridge that gap. Here are practical ways to communicate this value in-store and online:

1. Use Simple, Benefit-Driven Signage

Translate complex initiatives into shopper-friendly messages:

• “Grown using 10% less water than industry standards”
• “Powered by renewable energy”
• “Packaged in 100% recyclable materials”

Keep it short, clear, and visible in the produce department.

2. Highlight “Better Choice” Callouts

Create shelf tags or displays that group sustainable items together:

• “Sustainably Grown Citrus”
• “Eco-Friendly Picks”

This makes it easy for shoppers to identify products aligned with their values. These callouts can also be shared on your website, in emails, and on social media.

3. Tie Sustainability to Freshness and Quality

Sustainability isn’t just about the environment; it also supports better products. For example, healthier soil results in better-tasting produce; efficient water use allows for a more consistent supply; reduced waste means fresher products. Help shoppers connect these dots.

Wonderful Company’s sustainability efforts are rooted in measurable actions across farming, energy use, packaging, and waste reduction. For independent grocers, this is an opportunity to differentiate your produce department, build trust with eco-conscious shoppers, and turn everyday items like citrus into value-added purchases.By simply telling the story more effectively, you can transform sustainability from a behind-the-scenes effort into a meaningful reason to buy.