United Tropical Fruit operates to rigid forestry stewardship standards, ensuring the plantations are managed to strict environmental and social criteria ensuring we are cognizant of our responsibility towards environment protection in ensuring the sustainability of not only our business but also the larger community around us. Through best agricultural practices, we believe our operations present excellent opportunities for economic maximisation and environmental footprint minimisation. We are committed to managing land and plantations in a way that keeps illegal logging, forest fires and poor farming practices at bay. We are also determined to increase environmental productivity, from land delineated for agricultural and conservation purposes to resource management.

United Tropical Fruit aims to maintain the highest level of conservation and environmental protection of the eco-system, safeguarding and enriching areas of natural and indigenous forest to protect flora and fauna and promote bio-diversity. This concept of sustainable forest management ensures a corporate contribution to the country, its people and our future as well as maximizing the Company’s carbon sequestration. contribution, helping to combat global warming. Our environmental management objectives are:

Sustainable agricultural or forestry production involves the ongoing ability to produce crops/trees without degrading the environment physically or damaging it using harmful inputs. Improving yield, whilst utilizing lower resources, is a key factor in sustainable production. Classic breeding for yield enhancement has reached a point of diminishing returns in many domesticated species. At United Tropical Fruit , we are developing technologies that enhance crop yield of the best available germplasm during the growth and post-harvest processing stage in order to maintain sustainable production models. With our yield enhancing technologies, we constantly strive to lower the footprint of plantation forests and industrial farms, thus reducing the pressure for destruction of natural forests and habitats.

Forests have been described as “the lungs of the world”. With our yield protection technologies, we work constantly to maintain the health of these lungs. Our aim is to create sustainable plantations and practices, with crops that have yield, process ability and protection “built-in” and thus need lower intervention to produce more.

Biodiversity

Whilst United Tropical Fruit is primarily a commercial agroforestry operator, we believe strongly in the conservation and regeneration of indigenous flora, fauna and habitats. The Company therefore aims to ensure that environmentally sensitive areas, such as those along the edge of rivers and wildlife corridors are planted with indigenous tree species and those habitats encouraged to regenerate.

Environmental Sustainability

United Tropical Fruit projects follow ecological and environmental principles, working closely with national environmental regulatory bodies. As United Tropical Fruit relies so directly on the productivity of the land, it ensures its land is used wisely and maintained for use of generations to come.

Sustainability Initiatives

United Tropical Fruit is committed to conserving natural resources through eco-efficient management strategies, performance metrics and continuous improvement focused in five key areas that are important to our long-term business success: energy and water use, waste generation and recycling, sustainable packaging, sustainable agriculture, and supply chain optimization.

We recognize that climate change is a serious issue that demands attention and action from the business community. United Tropical Fruit has set performance targets, and will continue to take actions to reduce greenhouse gas emissions from both direct and indirect business operations.

  • We are committed to conducting our operations in accordance with applicable laws and regulations, and to engaging with industry and public stakeholders to develop responsible standards and voluntary initiatives that support this policy.
  • We strive for an injury-free workplace through a strong health and safety program supported by high employee engagement.
  • We train our employees to conduct their activities in a safe and environmentally responsible manner.
  • We expect our suppliers to adhere to the applicable environmental laws of the countries, regions and cities in which they operate. We encourage our suppliers to surpass baseline requirements where possible to reduce the environmental impact of their operations.

All of United Tropical Fruit employees are responsible for observing and advancing our Environmental Sustainability Policy. The Company’s Sustainability Leadership Team has overall responsibility for overseeing the Company’s environmental performance. The Sustainability Leadership Team and the Vice President – Public Affairs and Corporate Responsibility regularly report progress to and receive direction from the Chief Executive Officer and the Board of Directors.