Dole Announces New Sustainability, Commits To Getting Rid Of Fossil-Based Packaging

A staggering amount of food never reaches our plates, and the UN estimates that a third of the global crop grown for human consumption gets wasted. Sometimes produce is damaged, lost, spoils, or it is simply too ugly to sell. 

Dole Foods, the largest producer of fruit and vegetables, has announced that they plan to reduce food waste to zero by 2025, with initiatives that include upcycling edible but otherwise unsellable produce, researching and developing new uses for the inedible parts of the fruits and vegetables they can't sell. They also want to eliminate fossil fuel-based plastic packaging in five years and reach net-zero carbon emissions by 2030.

“The next generation is right to question why we have left problems like climate change for so long,” said President of Dole Foods Pier Luigi Sigismondi via a press release. “There are inter-generational repercussions. That is why we are increasing our efforts in key areas like reducing carbon emissions and working towards removing plastic packaging from our supply chain. Our promise puts the heart of the planet and people at the center of everything we do,” added Sigismondi.

Some ways Dole is furthering its goals include using pineapple and banana skins and peels to create new compostable packaging materials and turning waste into a source of electricity, according to Fast Company.

Dole’s “Sunshine for All” campaign is aimed at reducing the company’s overall impact on the environment, as well as improving its customers’ lives. Additional goals include eliminating processed sugar from their products, greater business transparency, and improving the nutrition of 1 billion people around the world.