Chiquita Brands International has used World Earth Day, which took place on 22 April, to reflect on the global sustainability initiatives it has championed that have helped 'raise industry standards'.
Schemes that the US-based multinational has been involved in include a near-20 year relationship with the Rainforest Alliance and the Sustainable Agriculture Network, designed to help identify areas of improvement on Chiquita's banana farms.
As a result of the collaboration, which began in 1992, Chiquita has invested around US$20m to improve facilities and infrastructures, planted some 1m trees and bushes and adopted integrated crop management practices minimising agrichemical use, among other alterations.
Chiquita now stands alone as the only banana producer to achieve 100 per cent certification of its company-owned farms, as well as nearly 100 per cent of its total pineapple supply.
Elsewhere, Chiquita has been involved in protecting over 100ha of natural terrain and indigenous animals in Costa Rica, and as recently as March this year the group announced an expanded partnership to strengthen sustainability and protect biodiversity in the San San Pond Sak reserve, situated close to banana farms in Costa Rica and Panama.
'Chiquita is a passionate, global corporate citizen and we take that responsibility to heart,' said Fernando Aguirre, chairman and CEO of Chiquita. 'Through collaboration, energy and imagination Chiquita strives to turn each challenge we face into an opportunity to invest in a sustainable future – both for our company and for the environment.
Looking ahead, Chiquita has also announced that it is to team with the Massachusetts Institute of technology to conduct the most comprehensive carbon footprint assessment carried out on bananas in North America, Latin America and Europe, with the goal of taking steps to reduce carbon emissions as bananas are moved from farms to consumers' tables.
'We continue to make green initiatives a priority, and challenge others to do the same because we're all shareholders in the well-being of our planet,' Mr Aguirre added.
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