IFCO, a leading provider of reusable packaging containers for fresh products, recently bestowed the IFCO Sustainability Certificate to customers for the seventh consecutive year, while highlighting what it says were record environmental savings achieved in 2023.
The individual customer certificates recognize the commitment of growers, producers and retailers to improve the environmental performance of their supply chains, according to a news release. Each certificate highlights the specific environmental savings achieved together with IFCO in terms of carbon emissions, energy use and water consumption, as well as in solid waste and food waste, the company said.
In total, by using the IFCO SmartCycle circular business model, customers have generated the following environmental savings in 2023, according to the release:
- 658,279 metric tons of carbon dioxide equivalent, or CO2e, emissions — equivalent to circling the planet 138,505 times by car.
- 363,070 metric tons of solid waste — equivalent to the yearly solid waste production of 698,175 people.
- 12,677 megaliters of water — equivalent to 5,071 Olympic-sized pools.
- 45,196 terajoules of energy — equivalent to the yearly energy consumption of 3,069,180 households.
- 59,035 tons of product waste — equivalent to 94 million meals.
Backed by the results of third-party, peer-reviewed life-cycle assessment studies, IFCO says it reliably calculates the environmental benefits of using IFCO RPCs and awards trustworthy Sustainability Certificates to its customers each year, the release said.
Since 1992, when IFCO pioneered reusable packaging solutions, the company has continued to invest in its circular business model to support its goal of making the fresh grocery supply chain sustainable, according to the release. In response to demand from its customers, IFCO first introduced the Sustainability Certificates in 2018 so that each customer could highlight the positive environmental impacts switching to IFCO RPCs, the release said.
“Thanks to our investments in high-tech facilities and digital solutions, we are making the IFCO SmartCycle pooling system even more efficient, which ultimately benefits our customers, our society and our planet,” IFCO CEO Michael Pooley said in the release. “For the seventh year in a row, we’re delighted to award our customers with the IFCO Sustainability Certificates in recognition of their commitment and progress toward accelerating the shift to sustainable supply chains.”
Related link: Download the IFCO ESG 2023 report
