CORAL GABLES, Fla.–Celebrating the 50th anniversary of Earth Day, Fresh Del Monte Produce Inc. is drawing inspiration from its own long history of conservation efforts, highlighting significant wins in reforestation and the protection of wildlife.
Currently, Fresh Del Monte Produce manages over 10,000 hectares of protected forests and has donated over 700,000 trees to the regions where it operates, including Costa Rica, Guatemala, Kenya and the Philippines. Through these programs, the company has also been able to increase the protection of wildlife, preservation of watersheds and sequestration of greenhouse gases.
In Costa Rica alone, Fresh Del Monte Produce owns and conserves 9,400 hectares of forest, of which 3,000 hectares have been formally designated to protect wildlife and are home to a rich and diverse set of plants and animals, including vulnerable and endangered species. Species inventories carried out by the company in its wildlife reserves in Costa Rica – known as La Danta, El Tigre and El General – have identified over 22 species of mammals, 99 reptile types, 417 bird species, 48 different amphibians and over 42 unique types of fish.
“Now more than ever, we need to understand the responsibility we have as corporate citizens,” said Hans Sauter, Chief Sustainability Officer for Fresh Del Monte Produce. “The work we employ around our conservation efforts is not one that we take lightly. If we want to Build A Better World Tomorrow, we must continuously improve upon our sustainability initiatives and commit to protecting our planet.”
To address the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals around climate action, Fresh Del Monte Produce began documenting greenhouse gas emissions nearly a decade ago. The company’s two largest banana and pineapple operations are now certified Carbon Neutral by SCS Global Services. These operations contribute zero net gain of greenhouse gases into Earth’s atmosphere. Today, 74% of all pineapples grown by the company and sold in North American and Europe are from their Carbon Neutral farms.
Fresh Del Monte Produce celebrates Earth Day by renewing its passionate commitment to its sustainability efforts on a global scale.
For more information on Fresh Del Monte Produce and its sustainability efforts, please visit: http://www.freshdelmonte.com/Sustainability.
About Fresh Del Monte Produce Inc.
Fresh Del Monte is one of the world’s leading vertically integrated producers, marketers and distributors of high-quality fresh and fresh-cut fruit and vegetables, as well as a leading producer and distributor of prepared food in Europe, Africa and the Middle East. Fresh Del Monte markets its products worldwide under the DEL MONTE® brand (under license from Del Monte Foods, Inc.), a symbol of product innovation, quality, freshness and reliability for over 125 years. The Company also markets its products under the MANN™ brand and other related trademarks. Fresh Del Monte Produce Inc. is not affiliated with certain other Del Monte companies around the world, including Del Monte Foods, Inc., the U.S. subsidiary of Del Monte Pacific Limited, Del Monte Canada, or Del Monte Asia Pte. Ltd
