Del Monte joins climate-focused Science Based Targets initiative

Fresh Del Monte Produce has joined the Science Based Targets initiative and plans to work with SBTi to establish an emissions reduction goal for 2030.

“We continue to see an increase in the impact of climate change on our lives through unusually active hurricane seasons and deadly wildfires,” Hans Sauter, chief sustainability officer for Del Monte, said in a news release. “This year, we joined the Science Based Targets initiative in order to create a more sustainable and equitable future, not just for our company but for the world. Climate action is our top priority, and I’m honored to work for a company that is unafraid to make these commitments.

“We believe that achieving the bold challenges outlined in the Paris Agreement five years ago requires not only the cooperation of governments and (non-governmental organizations) but also of corporations,” Sauter said in the release. “We will not limit global warming to well below 2 degrees Celsius unless the private and public sector start working together and making serious commitments like these. We aspire to lead by example and hope others in our industry will do the same,”

Del Monte has added to its corporate social responsibility report a new Environmental Action Tool and database that tracks the company’s emissions. Del Monte has also made “significant investments” in six fuel-efficient vessels, two of which launched this year, according to the release.

The company has been working in recent years to make its operations more sustainable; now all bananas grown by Del Monte in Costa Rica come from carbon-neutral farms, and so do 74% of all pineapples grown by the company and sold in North America and Europe, according to the release.