Dole plc sustainability report notes highlights, sets goals through 2030

Dole plc has released its first sustainability report since the 2021 merger of Total Produce plc and Dole Food Co. The report features a new set of environmental, social and governance goals through 2030.

The sustainability framework, the Dole Way, focuses on robust governance and three core pillars — For Nature, For People and For Food — covering environmental, ethical and social and nutrition-related issues.

Among the report highlights, the company’s first global carbon footprint collection including measuring and managing scope 1, scope 2 and scope 3 emissions and noted a reduction of 4% in Scope 1 and 2 emissions from 2020 to 2021.

Dole plc also invested in two 2.8-megawatt wind turbines at Dole Fresh Vegetables in Soledad, California, and installed a new solar system with a 120-kWp capacity in Belfast, Ireland.

The core sustainability pillars:

• For Nature: By committing to the Science Based Target Initiative, Dole plc places climate action at the forefront of its priorities along with water stewardship, biodiversity, waste management and packaging reduction and innovation.
• For People: Employing 38.500 people globally while partnering with third party growers worldwide, Dole is committed to being an employer of choice, supporting local communities and protecting human rights across its supply chains.
• For Food: Dole is committing to promoting healthy nutrition and improving access to fresh produce through partnerships and donations.

“Dole has built market-leading positions across a wide range of fresh fruit and vegetable segments by incorporating sustainability into their growth models,” Dole plc CEO Rory Byrne said. “As our climate is changing, we are focused on identifying the related risks, adapting to the effects on our operations and minimizing our own impacts. We also recognize and relish the special role we can play in improving people’s lives and the contribution Dole can make to promoting good health and wellbeing.”

The report also lays the foundation for the promotion of regenerative farming practices across Dole’s operations as well as on associated farms. It also noted the company’s recognition from the American-Costa Rican Chamber of Commerce for its De la Mano con Dole project focusing on the social development of employees and their families using Business Multidimensional Poverty Index methodology, which measures poverty beyond per capita income by taking into account factors including access to health care, education and housing.

“Although fresh produce has a low environmental footprint in comparison to other food sources, there is still much to do to further decrease our impacts and adapt to the effects of climate change,” Xavier Roussel, Dole plc’s chief marketing and sustainability officer, said. “We are addressing those challenges for the long term with likeminded partners along the supply chain. Our vertically integrated business model allows us to research much in our own operations before expanding to our associated farmers which is instrumental to lead change in the industry.”