One Year After Launch Dole Reports on Its Promise of Sunshine for All – Making Change for People, Planet and Prosperity
The Dole Sunshine Company* today released its first Sunshine for All™ Progress Report, one year after announcing “The Dole Promise.” Its six-prong promise drives the 170-year-old company to increase access to sustainable nutrition, decrease food waste, plastics in packaging and carbon emissions, and grow value for the company’s stakeholders.
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The report details Dole’s actions over the past year, as well as what will continue their drive towards achieving the ambitious goals set forth in the promise. Year one focused on establishing benchmarks, creating strategic partnerships and actions, and investing in R&D, innovation and consumer research.
“Change starts by taking responsibility for our own actions and the first step is the hardest,” said Pier Luigi Sigismondi, president, Food & Beverages Group, The Dole Sunshine Company. “We believe we have the potential to build a better tomorrow and have seen the results in year one. As we look forward, we can do more to contribute to better nutrition for people, do better by eliminating waste and achieving carbon neutrality and help to create prosperity by delivering shared value for all stakeholders.”
People, Planet & Prosperity
In June 2020, Dole committed to making nutritious foods accessible for 1 billion people, moving towards zero fruit loss and zero fossil-fuel based plastic packaging by 2025 and net zero carbon emissions by 2030. Early indicators show that despite the global pandemic, Dole has moved the needle in critical areas across its value chain and made an impact around the globe.
“Business can be a force for good. While the challenges before us are daunting, we knew the first step in finding solutions must be to ensure our own house is in order,” said Christian Wiegele, president, Fresh Produce Group, The Dole Sunshine Company. “But we also know that we cannot do it alone. That is why we are looking at the priorities of the Dole Promise, and focusing outward to identify innovations, solutions and partners to help us achieve our goals.”
People: Sustainable Nutrition
Over the last year, over half a billion people around the globe consumed Dole’s products1. The company continues to work across its food and beverage product portfolio to eliminate processed sugar and instead use natural ingredients that customers expect. Today, leveraging reformulation and innovation, 47 percent of the brand’s product portfolio contains zero processed sugar, an improvement over 2019.
And Dole believes it’s not enough to just offer nutritious foods. To improve nutrition knowledge and awareness, the organization is implementing Clean Labeling, hosting programs like Sunshine for All Cities which offers culinary arts, basic nutrition classes and access to affordable produce, and investing in consumer education with campaigns like Malnutrition Labels.
Planet: Decreasing Waste and Dole’s Operating Impact on the Planet
Dole’s products rely on high quality packaging, and therefore require innovative solutions that work to protect the planet. Dole aims to begin removing fossil-fuel-based plastic from its pouches and Fruit Bowls(R) packaging with sustainable alternatives such as paper or pulp-based, and polylactic acid (PLA) based stickers for fresh fruits in 2022. And in South Korea, Dole introduced paper-based straps for its bananas, a move bringing the company closer to its goal of zero fossil-fuel based plastic packaging.
To achieve its goal of zero fruit loss and net zero carbon emissions, Dole has accelerated innovation and investment. Since 2019, there has been a 12 percent decrease in carbon emissions across its global operations and 34% of energy used in 2020 was purchased or generated from renewable sources. And by evaluating ways of upcycling so-called “ugly” fruit, approximately 80 percent of Dole Thailand’s potential fruit loss for 2021 can be repurposed and will achieve 100% by 2025.
Prosperity: Positively Impacting All Stakeholders
Dole’s interconnected promises are essential to creating shared value for all – employees, customers, shareholders and the planet, and this requires collaboration with not just its own people but stakeholders across its value chain.
For example, Dole recently announced its Global ESG Partnership, a unique alliance platform of renewable energy service providers that will allow Dole to achieve its 100 percent renewable energy targets at all processing facilities by 2030. In addition, Dole partnered with Solidaridad to teach farmers the skills they need to grow more and earn more, while protecting the land, further contributing to their livelihood and wellbeing.
Earlier this year, Dole also launched the Sunshine for All™ Fund to support additional strategic partnerships and investments. The US$2 million annual fund works with innovators, start-ups and progressive partners to help deliver on the Dole Promise in the key areas of nutrition, materiality, advisory and implementation to help achieve the company’s goals.
To learn more, visit DoleSunshine.com and download the report here. The full details of the Dole Promise and the Sunshine for All Fund are also available.
Follow us on our journey to creating sunshine for all @DoleSunshine.
SOURCE: The Dole Sunshine Company (press release)
