New Zealand-based kiwifruit marketer Zespri plans to have 100% recyclable, reusable or compostable packaging by 2025.
Any plastic packaging still in use by Zespri at that time will be made from at least 30% recycled plastic, and the brand’s overall packaging footprint will be dropped by 25% (per kilogram of fruit produced) by 2030, according to Zespri. The company announced the plans at Momentum 2020: Standing Up and Standing Out, the New Zealand kiwifruit industry’s conference.
“We already have much to be proud of including already having 95% of our packaging used to transport our kiwifruit to market as cardboard, but we realise there’s more to do,” Carol Ward, chief innovation and sustainability officer at Zespri, said in a news release. “The ambitious targets we’ve outlined today are therefore about driving our next stage of development and aligning with our purpose, our brand promise and our premium product position.”
Zespri has already reduced the weight of liners in cardboard transport packs, tested fiber-based packs and implemented improved recycling options.
The company’s non-packaging sustainability commitments include:
Identifying climate risks and opportunities by August 2021 and develop a climate change adaption plan by December 2022;
Partnering in all major Zespri markets with healthy lifestyle programs by 2022; and
Protecting and enhancing water quality.
“We’ve been weaving sustainability into our business practices for many years, and we’re really proud to have set ambitious targets which give us clear direction of travel and we can work with our industry partners to play our part in bringing positive change,” Ward said in the release.
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