Why we launched environmental charter — Johnvents

An agribusiness organisation specialized in cocoa processing and other farm produce, Johnvents Groups, has launched its environmental charter in order to guide the environmental performance of the group across board.

John Alamu, the Group Managing Director of the Johnvents Group, in a statement made available to journalists on Thursday in Akure disclosed that group’s FMCG business unit cleared a major international audit, and field teams completed back-to-back training programmes spanning cocoa traceability, child labour monitoring, and cooperative governance.

According to him, the launching of the environmental charter signals, it’s a shift from the organisation’s policy intent to system-wide implementation.

He said: “Moving beyond a conventional policy document, the Charter defines clear priorities across resource efficiency, waste management, pollution prevention, and climate action, each backed by implementation plans, timelines, and measurable targets.

“Crucially, it is embedded within daily operations rather than isolated within a sustainability function, placing execution in the hands of teams across production, procurement, and logistics.”

This integration, according to Alamu, not only strengthens accountability but also aligns the Group with international ESG expectations, positioning it to meet rising due diligence requirements from global buyers, particularly in the cocoa export market.

He explained that operational alignment extends into the Group’s FMCG business unit, where Johnvents Foods recorded a significant milestone with the successful completion of the FSSC 22000 Stage 2 audit conducted by Bureau Veritas on March 3–4.

The Johnvents Group boss further disclosed that as the decisive phase of the certification process, the audit evaluated the effectiveness of the facility’s food safety management systems, including hazard analysis, operational controls, and compliance procedures.

He said the outcome confirmed that the systems in place meet international standards and places the company on the threshold of full certification, an important step toward unlocking access to global supply chains where such standards are mandatory.

The Group, with downstream capabilities strengthening, has simultaneously intensified efforts upstream, particularly within its cocoa sourcing network.

For advancement in its performance, trained staff of the Group delivered step-down training sessions for 28 Licensed Buying Agents (LBAs), focusing on traceability protocols, record-keeping, and regulatory compliance.

The LBAs, who are the primary link between farmers and the formal market, they are central to ensuring that cocoa can be traced to origin, which is part of increasingly critical requirement under evolving regulations, including European deforestation due diligence frameworks.

Moreover, follow-up sessions are planned to ensure consistency and full adoption across the network.

These supply chain efforts are reinforced by targeted investments in social compliance and cooperative governance.

Likewise, 13 field officers from the Group’s Child Labour Monitoring and Remediation System (CLMRS) team received advanced training from the International Cocoa Initiative, equipping them with tools for community engagement, case management, and standardized monitoring.

In addition, 105 cooperative leaders across Owo and Akure were also trained through a cascade model designed to build internal capacity at scale.

Therefore, collectively, these milestones reflect a Group that is systematically closing the gap between ambition and execution.

In March, the progress recorded is not incidental, but evidence of a long-term strategy taking root, one that positions the Group to capture higher-value opportunities, strengthen relationships with global partners, and lead the next chapter of Nigerian agribusiness on its own terms.