Sustainability

 


 

Sustainable Packaging Alternatives

At Del Monte we are constantly researching new types of sustainable material and as we create and implement new packaging, we carefully assess its environmental impact. Programs like the CHEP pallet program in Costa Rica help contribute to our success in this area. The use of Returnable Plastic Containers (RPCs) for storage of raw materials not only reduces the generation of packaging wastes but also allows for its reuse over a long period of time. We intend to continue the use of sustainable packaging, which helps to minimize our environmental footprint.

Sustainable Pallet Production

As part of our reforestation program, company-owned areas that are classified as idle, sensitive and unproductive are planted with Gmelina trees. The Gmelina forest areas are located in the regions of Sarapiqui, Perdiz, Duacari and Fortaleza farms. These trees are used for the production of pallets. In Costa Rica, a total of 1000 hectares have been planted with Gmelinas since the beginning of the program and we hope to plant an additional 700 hectares in 2010. Pallets are also produced in Guatemala.
 
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Five years after planting, lumber is harvested to produce wooden pallets. With a yield of around 1,030 pallets per hectare per 5 years, this project demonstrates that no forest trees are cut down or protected forest zones destroyed for the production of pallets used in our operations. Harvested areas are replanted as well.

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Pallets are repaired and reused at our facilities and production sites worldwide. In the Philippines, wooden pallets are re-used. Damaged pallets are recycled and made in to wooden cabinets, chairs, benches and tables.
 
 
 
 
CHEP Pallet Program 
The CHEP pallet program in Costa Rica and Guatemala allows for the use of returnable pallets. In Costa Rica, the environmental impact generated by the use of 352,000 CHEP pallets in 2008 is equivalent to a waste reduction of 163 dump trucks filled with solid wastes, greenhouse gas emission reduction equivalent to 174 cars driven for a year and energy savings enough to power 303 homes for a year. At our fresh cut operations and distribution centers in North America, the use of 950,000 recyclable CHEP pallets, with an average useful life of 10 turns over the last 12 months, has saved 38,000 tons worth of trees.
 
 
 
 
Use of Returnable Plastic Containers
The use of Returnable Plastic Containers (RPC) for storage of raw materials reduces the use of cardboard boxes and cardboard wastes, minimizing the impact on the environment. RPCs used to ship our products from the Philippines to Japan are returned back to their origin. RPCs manufactured since 1992 are still in rotation between the Philippines and Japan. Currently, Japan has an estimated 350,000 RPCs in stock and ships about 200,000-250,000 back to the Philippines for reuse.
 
 
 
 
 
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