Environmental sustainability solution (ESS) desk trials: Shaping the future of sustainable farming

As sustainability becomes increasingly central to agriculture, producers, retailers, and supply chain partners are facing growing expectations to keep or increase business value while reducing their environmental footprint and safeguarding natural resources. To address this, we’re developing the environmental sustainability solution (ESS), a new solution designed to accompany farms and related stakeholders on their sustainability journey. 

The ESS covers a range of topics, including biodiversity, soil health, water management, greenhouse gas emissions, and regenerative or nature-positive practices. It can be used in combination with the Integrated Farm Assurance (IFA) standard or as a stand-alone standard, and is initially applicable to fruit and vegetables, flowers and ornamentals, and combinable crops product categories. 

Desk trials: Testing feasibility across contexts 

Between April and July 2025, GLOBALG.A.P. conducted 31 desk trials in 15 countries. These trials evaluated how the ESS can perform in diverse farm contexts, complementing the work with metrics and agricultural practices, and looking for actionable insights for producers and other stakeholders. 

“The desk trials allow us to confirm that simple and relevant global solutions are possible, in synergy with stakeholders, integrating learnings from the past and opening ways to incorporate future innovations.” explains Dr. René Capote, Senior Technical Expert at Agraya GmbH (the company behind the GLOBALG.A.P. brand),  

Feedback from these trials is now being integrated into the ESS draft, refining both content and methodology. Retailers and other supply chain partners have also contributed, helping to ensure the solution aligns with reporting requirements and broader market expectations. 

Analyzing soil and water samples as part of the pilot project for the GLOBALG.A.P. environmental sustainability solution in 2025.

Looking ahead 

The next phase will involve pilot audits after December 2025, bringing the solution closer to launch. This development process is highly collaborative, guided by the Environmental Sustainability Working Group, which brings together around 100 organizations representing farms, traders, retailers, NGOs, sector organizations and technical experts worldwide. 

The desk trials represent an important step in delivering a credible, actionable, and globally relevant solution for environmental sustainability in agriculture, working with farms and other stakeholders to enable and demonstrate measurable progress while meeting evolving industry and legislative expectations. 

Related links: 

• Learn more about the Environmental Sustainability Working Group 

• Read about the ESS field trials  

• For more information on the standard-setting procedure, please see our five-step development process.