ANAHEIM, CA — While sustainability and corporate responsibility are the buzzwords today for many companies that seek to set themselves apart from the competition, for Del Monte Fresh, it’s nothing new.
“It’s the story of our company, we’ve been doing it for the last 30 years,” Hans Sauter, senior vice president, corporate R&D, QA and agricultural services for Del Monte Fresh Produce, told The Produce News Oct. 18, here, during the PMA Fresh Summit. “Long before it was the norm, we put sustainability at the core of who we are as a company.”
Hans Sauter
Among the initiatives that Sauter has spearheaded for Del Monte Fresh are perfecting techniques to reduce the impact of phytochemicals; using technology to maximize efficiencies and reduce the impact on the environment; and identifying areas where the company can best grow its crops to maximize resources.
Reforestation is another focus for the company, and Sauter said Del Monte Fresh has a goal of planting 2.5 million trees by 2025 in the areas that it farms.
The efforts are not self-serving or just part of a marketing plan to make itself look good in the eyes of its customers.
“We have had such success with our own operation that we want to expand to the surrounding communities and partner with local organizations, which will enable us to influence a much larger audience and area,” said Sauter.
Sauter and his team at Del Monte Fresh recently released a sustainability report for 2019 that details what the company has done on that front for the past year.
Among the highlights of the report are:
- Fresh Del Monte Produce has exceeded its 10-year target for reduction of energy consumption by 20 percent (net 12 percent reduction-per-ton of product)
- Since 2013, Fresh Del Monte Produce’s banana operations in Costa Rica (BANDECO division) have been certified as carbon neutral.
- Since fall 2019, Fresh Del Monte Produce’s pineapple operations in Costa Rica (PINDECO division) have been certified as carbon neutral.
- Fresh Del Monte Produce has certified 100 percent of its processing facilities and distribution centers under internationally recognized food safety standards ahead of its 2020 goal.
- Fresh Del Monte Produce has achieved a 12 percent decrease in energy per ton of product, 21 percent decrease in water per ton of product, exceeding its own 2014 goals.
- In three years, Fresh Del Monte has planted over 700,000 trees in its communities, working toward a goal of 2.5 million by 2025.
- Fresh Del Monte has supported 150 local programs aimed at creating measurable and lasting environment change by 2025, and has provided educational opportunities to some 6,200 students since 2017.
Sauter said Del Monte Fresh plans to be even more bold in its sustainability efforts going forward. He pointed to a $200 million investment the company will make in its fleet to make it more fuel efficient.
He also said the company would increase learning opportunities for school kids and is committed to supporting those initiatives through 2025, saying that the company believes in the power of lifelong education and its ability to help pull families out of poverty and increase the quality of life for the entire family.
Regarding the release of the report, Dennis Christou, vice president of marketing, said, “We wanted to make sure we had a well thought-out and thorough plan, and now we will engage with consumers via our web site and social media.”
Sauter agreed, saying, “We wanted to make sure we had something substantial to talk about. The stories are inspirational and the planet is in need of this kind of initiative. We are now telling a story that began 30 years ago.”
