2020 Sustainability Report Highlights AppHarvest’s Impact
On A Mission To Redefine Agriculture
Titled “Feed the Future,” our 2020 Sustainability Report is now available for view and outlines our efforts to create positive environmental change in agriculture, empower employees and improve the communities in which we operate.
“Resiliency is at the core of our beliefs at AppHarvest because farming as we’ve known it is broken and not sustainable for the planet,” said Founder & CEO Jonathan Webb. “We’re solving for the variables that make our food system unreliable, such as extreme weather, droughts, fire or contamination. Our team built one of the world’s largest facilities in the midst of a global pandemic.”
This Earth Day, we’re detailing our progress toward three distinct impact goals as we work to establish a reliable, climate-resilient domestic food supply:
Drive positive environmental change in agriculture: Our first high-tech indoor farm grows more with fewer resources and contributes to a climate-resilient, domestic food supply. With our strategic location in Central Appalachia, we can reach 70% of the U.S. population within a day’s drive. The location reduces diesel used for transportation as much as 80% compared to produce trucked from Mexico or the Southwest of the U.S. Our operations are also designed to use 90% less water than open-field agriculture with 100% recycled rainwater, zero chemical pesticides, and zero agricultural runoff.
Empower individuals in Appalachia: To us, ‘empowering individuals’ means creating a life-changing experience for employees and their families. As of March 31, 2021, we have created 500 jobs with 100% of employees verified to be paid a living wage plus a comprehensive benefits package that is considered best-in-class in the agriculture sector. We also make each employee a stakeholder in the company’s success by providing equity-based incentives.
Improve the communities in which we operate: Our plans call for more than tripling our investment in Appalachia to reach almost $1 billion in capital invested by 2025. We're also working with Eastern Kentucky high schools to incorporate AgTech curriculum and provide high-tech container farms that offer students a hands-on opportunity to grow their own food and learn about nutrition. In fact, we opened another container farm today. Read more below.
“Consumers are more educated than ever, and they use that knowledge to support organizations, like AppHarvest, that have the best interests of all stakeholders in mind by putting people and planet first,” said AppHarvest President David Lee.