GLOBALG.A.P. Secretariat publishes revised SPRING v2 for responsible water management

Cologne, Germany (7 September 2023) – After extensive revisions, the GLOBALG.A.P. Secretariat is launching SPRING v2. This updated version, which features simplified implementation rules and stricter principles and criteria regarding legal compliance, reflects GLOBALG.A.P.’s growing emphasis on solutions for environmental sustainability and underscores water’s central role in a sustainable future. Following the launch of SPRING v2, producers and certification bodies will be given sufficient time for appropriate training before the first audits against the new version may be conducted from 1 October 2023.

An add-on for enhanced assurance in at-risk scenarios

The GLOBALG.A.P. core solutions, including the Integrated Farm Assurance (IFA) standard, embody internationally recognized good agricultural practices and include principles and criteria touching on environmental and food safety aspects of water use. While the IFA standard provides abundant assurance for many industry stakeholders, producers operating in areas with specific water scarcity or water quality issues often seek additional proof of responsible water use. These producers can choose to adopt the SPRING add-on to augment the IFA standard and demonstrate their special commitment to watershed protection and responsible on-farm water use to supply chain stakeholders, buyers, and end consumers.

The SPRING add-on also helps farms operate more profitably by raising their water awareness and encouraging more efficient on-farm management of vulnerable water resources. SPRING v2 preserves and enhances these benefits of the add-on by anticipating key environmental pressure points and providing smart solutions to protect at-risk water resources.

What’s new: simpler implementation rules and stricter enforcement of legal compliance

In answer to stakeholder feedback during the public consultation period in preparation for SPRING v2, the GLOBALG.A.P. Secretariat has simplified the implementation rules, committing to 38 essential principles and criteria that fall into five categories: assessment of water risks and objectives, assessment of legal compliance, management and use of water resources, environmental management (protecting water sources), and traceability.

Recognizing that governments craft legislation to address the unique water risks in their regions, the SPRING add-on has always included legal compliance as a significant requirement for certification. This aspect of the add-on is among the reasons why WWF Spain has rated the SPRING add-on among the top water certification options available to producers in Spain. The new version of the SPRING add-on places even greater emphasis on adherence to local legal requirements. To achieve certification to SPRING v2, producers must demonstrate compliance with legal criteria regarding land use, flow rates, water infrastructure, and water source identification.

Collaboration with WWF Spain to improve the SPRING add-on’s effectiveness

In Spain, where water scarcity plays a significant role in agricultural production and impacts water legislation, WWF Spain recognizes the SPRING add-on among the top farm-level water certification options. WWF Spain provided significant input for SPRING v2 over the course of a long-running collaboration with the GLOBALG.A.P. Secretariat to craft the new version of the add-on into an even better fit for the market. Along the way, the GLOBALG.A.P. Secretariat and WWF Spain have engaged in joint capacity-building activities on the ground in Spain, supporting each other in certification body auditor training sessions to raise awareness among producers about effective water solutions.

Felipe Fuentelsaz, Agriculture and Water Coordinator for WWF Spain shared his impressions of SPRING v2 after working in partnership with the GLOBALG.A.P. Secretariat to revise the add-on. “We very much appreciate the close and constructive cooperation with the GLOBALG.A.P. Secretariat. In our view, this approach can serve excellently as a blueprint for other regions or countries facing similar challenges.”

SPRING add-on endorsed in the SIFAV “Basket of Water Standards”

As part of their 2025 strategy, the Sustainability Initiative Fruit and Vegetables (SIFAV) has commissioned the independent benchmarking of water standards for agriculture and created a “Basket of Water Standards”. The “Basket of Water Standards” is a selection of standards that satisfy specific legal, environmental, and sanitation criteria. GLOBALG.A.P. version 5 + SPRING version 1.1.1 is among the certification options that were successfully benchmarked.

“SIFAV gladly recommends SPRING among our basket of approved voluntary water standards for fruit and vegetable producers,” said Coen Frederiks, SIFAV Program Manager. “We are confident that the updates in the new version of the add-on will further support our ambition to optimize and promote on-farm water management in the fresh produce sector.”

“We are pleased to have our work recognized by groups like WWF Spain and SIFAV, who share our dedication to environmental sustainability,” said FoodPLUS GmbH Managing Director Dr. Elmé Coetzer-Boersma. “It shows we’re doing the right thing and inspires us to continue striving for more transparency and more responsibility in demonstrating how producers use water on their farms.

The updates in SPRING v2 are expected to further enhance the add-on’s alignment with the goals of respected international environmental interest groups, and the GLOBALG.A.P. Secretariat anticipates further collaboration on environmental issues with likeminded sustainability partners in the future.

Water is a key pillar in the discussions of the Environmental Sustainability Working Group

This new version of the SPRING add-on, which keeps the add-on at the forefront of water issues, reflects the broader strategy to put a growing emphasis on responsible environmental stewardship at farm level. As part of this forward-looking approach, the recently established Environmental Sustainability Working Group will discuss the potential development of a new standard or add-on with an enhanced focus on environmental sustainability approaches by 2025. Water forms a main pillar of these discussions and is an indispensable factor in any discussion about responsible farming and continuous improvement.

Meanwhile, SPRING v2 keeps water in the spotlight to ensure that producers are aware of the challenges and to support responsible water stewardship at farm level.

 About GLOBALG.A.P.

GLOBALG.A.P. is a brand of smart farm assurance solutions developed by FoodPLUS GmbH in Cologne, Germany, with cooperation from producers, retailers, and other stakeholders across the food industry. These solutions include a range of standards for safe, socially and environmentally responsible farming practices. The most widely used GLOBALG.A.P. standard is IFA, applicable to fruit and vegetables, aquaculture, floriculture, and more. This standard also forms the basis for the GGN label – the consumer label for certified, responsible farming and transparency.

The GLOBALG.A.P. brand began its journey as EUREPGAP in 1997. Now, over twenty-five years later, more than 200,000 producers are under GLOBALG.A.P. certification in 132 countries. Nearly 150 team members around the world are dedicated to the mission of spreading responsible farming practices to ensure safe food for future generations.

https://www.globalgap.org/uk_en/

More about SPRING

SPRING is a GLOBALG.A.P. add-on that addresses responsible water management at farm level. Designed to be paired with the IFA standard, it covers a wide range of topics such as water use and extraction rates, legal compliance and the protection of water sources, and sustainable watershed management. The SPRING add-on has been developed in collaboration with stakeholders from across the sector and has been recognized by WWF Spain. The add-on is now tried, tested, and trusted in 30 countries worldwide.

About SIFAV

The Sustainability Initiative Fruit and Vegetables (SIFAV) is a membership-based initiative coordinated by IDH, that aims to actively contribute to more sustainable fresh fruit and vegetable supply chains globally. SIFAV unites private companies, civil society organizations and voluntary standards active in the fresh fruit and vegetable sector.

https://sifav.com/

About WWF Spain

WWF Spain is part of the WWF network, the largest independent international organization dedicated to the defense of nature and the environment. Founded in 1961, today we work in more than 100 countries and are supported by nearly 5 million members around the world. More information can be found here https://www.wwf.es.