A leading agribusiness organization specializing in cocoa processing and other farm produce, Johnvents Group, has officially launched its Environmental Charter, marking a major step in translating sustainability policy into actionable operations across the company.
The Charter provides a structured framework to guide environmental performance across the Group, emphasizing resource efficiency, waste management, pollution prevention, and climate action.
Unlike conventional policy documents, it is integrated into daily operations, ensuring teams in production, procurement, and logistics are directly accountable.
According to the Group Managing Director, John Alamu, who said the launch coincides with significant progress in the company’s wider operational and compliance initiatives.
Alamu 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.”
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“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.”
The Charter aligns Johnvents with international ESG expectations, particularly for cocoa exports, and strengthens compliance with global due diligence requirements.
The agribusiness organization highlighted milestones in the Group’s FMCG business unit, Johnvents Foods, which recently completed the FSSC 22000 Stage 2 audit conducted by Bureau Veritas on March 3–4.
“The audit evaluated the effectiveness of the facility’s food safety management systems, including hazard analysis, operational controls, and compliance procedures.
” The outcome confirmed that our systems meet international standards and positions us on the threshold of full certification,” he said.
Upstream, the Group has strengthened its cocoa sourcing network. Trained staff conducted step-down sessions for 28 Licensed Buying Agents (LBAs), covering traceability protocols, record-keeping, and regulatory compliance.
These agents, linking farmers to the formal market, are critical to ensuring cocoa can be traced to its origin—a requirement under evolving international regulations, including European deforestation due diligence frameworks.
Follow-up sessions are planned to ensure consistency and full adoption across the network.
Social compliance and cooperative governance efforts are also being enhanced. Thirteen field officers from Johnvents’ Child Labour Monitoring and Remediation System (CLMRS) team received advanced training from the International Cocoa Initiative, gaining skills in community engagement, case management, and standardized monitoring.
Additionally, 105 cooperative leaders across Owo and Akure underwent capacity-building training to strengthen governance at scale.
“These milestones reflect a Group that is systematically closing the gap between ambition and execution.
“The progress recorded is evidence of a long-term strategy taking root—one that positions us to capture higher-value opportunities, strengthen relationships with global partners, and lead the next chapter of Nigerian agribusiness on our own terms,” he said.
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