Fresh Del Monte recognized for sustainability efforts
Fresh Del Monte Produce Inc. has been awarded a 2023 SEAL Business Sustainability Award in the Environmental Initiative category and has been shortlisted for a World Sustainability Award in the New Launch category for the Del Monte Zero pineapple, according to a news release.
Fresh Del Monte received the SEAL Business Sustainability Award for its reduction of greenhouse gas emissions across its agricultural value chain, the release said.
The company said it has reduced its scope 1 and scope 2 emissions by 22.64% (according to data from 2021, the most recent data available) in part by upgrading its ocean fleet with six new fuel-efficient vessels and installing solar and wind energy at facilities in California and Costa Rica, respectively. This reduction means the company is 80% of the way toward its climate action goal to reduce scope 1 and scope 2 emissions by 27.5% by 2025, compared with a 2019 baseline, according to the release.
The use of the six fuel-efficient vessels also allowed Fresh Del Monte to exceed its scope 1 vessel shipping reduction goal, the company said.
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In 2021, Del Monte received the SEAL Award for its approach to farming while conserving biodiversity, the release said.
Additionally, the company was shortlisted for a World Sustainability Award in the New Launch category for the Del Monte Zero pineapple. This award celebrates a newly launched product or service that is having an immediate impact on sustainability, according to the release.
The Del Monte Zero pineapple is a carbon-neutral certified pineapple, which is synonymous with the company’s focus on innovation and sustainability. Announced at the end of 2022 and available in select North American and European markets in early 2023, the Del Monte Zero is a significant milestone for the company and reflects its commitment to bettering the planet, the release said.
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Fresh Del Monte said it neutralizes the greenhouse gas emissions attributed to the life cycle of its specially branded Del Monte Zero pineapples through insetting, not by the common practice of purchasing carbon credits. This was achieved through investments in upgrades to its transportation fleet and by reducing overall greenhouse gas emissions, as well as a 20,000-acre forest that contains approximately 5 million trees that capture emissions — from farm to table — produced by the Del Monte Zero pineapple, the release said.
World Sustainability Award recipients will be announced in October.
“We're honored to be recognized by these two leading organizations for our sustainability efforts and the progress we’ve made. Sustainability and innovation are at the heart of everything we do and our reduction in emissions and the Del Monte Zero pineapple showcases how these two go hand in hand,” Hans Sauter, Fresh Del Monte’s chief sustainability officer and senior vice president of research and development, said in the release. “Sustainability permeates our entire value chain — from farm to market — showing that large-scale agriculture can be responsible too. We are constantly looking for new ways to improve, lessen our impact, and build A Brighter World Tomorrow — whether it’s through regenerative or conventional agriculture."
Related link: More information about Fresh Del Monte's sustainability approach
