Company presents third sustainability report under GRI standard
Chile’s Copefrut has presented its third sustainability report in its 70th anniversary year. Prepared under the international GRI 2021 standard, the report sets out the progress the company has made in the environmental, social, and productive spheres during the 2023/24 season.
“Resilience is in our history and in our DNA. Celebrating 70 years drives us to continue evolving with sustainability as a central pillar of our strategy,” said general manager Andrés Fuenzalida.
Cherries reconfirmed their place as Copefrut’s star product last season, during which exports grew 6 per cent to 28,749 tonnes, consolidating the company’s position as Chile’s second biggest exporter of this product. This was complemented by the growing presence of apples, kiwifruit and plums in markets across Latin America, Europe, and Asia, it said.
The report highlights significant advancements in environmental management, such as efficient water use, the incorporation of renewable energies, energy efficiency, and the migration towards recyclable packaging. Furthermore, the company’s main associated producers began to integrate practices that foster biodiversity and generate clean energy in their fields.
Last year, Copefrut was recognised as the most innovative agricultural company in the Most Innovative Companies Chile 2024 ranking. Among the milestones achieved during this period were the implementation of SAP S/4HANA and the creation of a varietal innovation area. In line with this, the company obtained the exclusive license for Latin America to grow and commercialise the Tutti apple, the Spanish variety developed to withstand high temperatures.
The expansion of the Linares plant marked another turning point for the company: today, it is Copefrut’s largest plant, with 52 processing lines dedicated exclusively to cherries and a capacity of 13mn kgs per season. This expansion not only improved efficiency but also doubled the number of workers, generating employment for over 1,000 people in the area.
In its social sphere, Copefrut continued to strengthen its training programmes, co-financing technical, university, and postgraduate studies. It also trained 471 collaborators and implemented alliances with educational centres. In the 2023/24 season, a total of 32 students completed professional internships at the company, of which 19 per cent remained at Copefrut. Additionally, it donated over 30,000kg of fruit to the Fundación Red de Alimentos, benefiting almost 28,000 people.
For the second consecutive year, Copefrut was awarded the bronze medal in EcoVadis’s sustainability assessment, reaching the 84th percentile globally. It was also recognised as Supplier of the Year by Pagoda, one of the largest fruit retailers in China, and achieved Giga Guru level in Walmart’s Project Gigaton, which highlights companies making progress in emission reduction.
Fuenzalida commented: “The milestones highlighted in our sustainability report are just some examples that demonstrate that sustainability is at the core of our business and that, year after year, we continue to drive new initiatives to advance with responsibility, innovation, and commitment towards a more sustainable future”.
