Fresh Del Monte reports progress on reducing greenhouse gas emissions

Fresh Del Monte reports it is making what it calls “remarkable progress” on the road to achieving key 2030 goals to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.

The company was the first global marketer of fruits and vegetables to commit to the Science-Based Targets initiative, or SBTi, in 2020 and has already reduced greenhouse gas emissions for scopes one and two by 22% compared with its 2019 baseline, according to a news release.

The reductions were achieved through a variety of operational enhancements, including the purchase of six more efficient vessels meeting the most stringent emission control regulations, according to the release. 

With the addition of the new vessels, Fresh Del Monte estimates a savings of nearly 19,000 metric tons of fuel each year.

 Significant reductions in greenhouse gas emissions were also achieved in many of the company’s  facilities, according to the release. Currently, the company is only 5.5 percentage points from its 2030 goals, which is the reduction of emissions by 27.5%, according to the release.

“We’ve been seeing the effects of climate change and global warming for quite some time now and, given the current weather conditions the world is facing, the urgency to address the growing climate crisis is stronger than ever,” Hans Sauter, chief sustainability officer and senior vice president of research and development at Fresh Del Monte, said in the release. “Although we are proud of the action we’ve taken to meet our SBTi goals, we want to encourage others to join in this fight to slow down climate change and help conserve and protect the health of our planet and its natural resources.”  

The company will release its annual sustainability report this fall, according to the release.