
Dole Food Company, Inc. Announces Carbon Neutral Project in Collaboration with Costa Rica
WESTLAKE VILLAGE, California â August 9, 2007 â Dole Food Company, Inc. today announced that Standard Fruit de Costa Rica, Doleâs operating subsidiary in Costa Rica, and Fondo Nacional de Financiamento Forestal (FONAFIFO), the National Forestry Financing Fund and an entity of the Ministry of Environment and Energy of Costa Rica, signed a ground breaking agreement to work together on a project aimed at establishing a carbon neutral product supply chain for bananas and pineapples, from their production in Costa Rica to the markets in North America and Europe.âCarbon neutralâ, as applied to the banana and pineapple product supply chains, means that the carbon dioxide (CO2) emitted to produce, pack, transport and distribute the fruit will be offset by mitigation practices which increase the capture of CO2 in order to achieve a âneutralâ balance. These practices entail new, more efficient transportation methods, changes to agricultural processes to reduce CO2 emissions, and partnering with local farmers to implement preservation and reforestation programs.David A. DeLorenzo, President and Chief Executive Officer of Dole Food Company, Inc., stated: âThe environment is a concern for all of us. Companies, consumers, governments and non-governmental organizations should endeavor to promote and adopt new production and distribution methods and consumption behavior in order to reverse harmful trends to the environment. As the worldâs largest producer and distributor of fruits and vegetables, Dole is determined to take the lead in its sector and the agreement with FONAFIFO is a good starting point.âRoberto Dobles, PhD., Minister of the Environment and Energy of Costa Rica stated, âDole is a such an important company in the production of bananas and pineapples on a global level that we are very enthusiastic that Standard Fruit made the decision to strive to become a carbon neutral company here in Costa Rica and join our efforts to become the first carbon neutral country in the world by 2021. With this agreement, Dole demonstrates its enormous capacity to innovate and develop processes that will be reflected in benefits to the environment. I hope that this initiative will be followed by others in the private sector, so that we may unite efforts in favor of the environment.âSylvain Cuperlier, Vice President, Director of Worldwide Corporate Social Responsibility of Dole Food Company, Inc. stated: âDole has long been recognized for its environmental programs. Today, we want to utilize the Companyâs environmental management systems and our staffâs expertise to produce and market âcarbon neutralâ bananas and pineapples. To this end, we want to pull together all resources available within our Company and partner further with recognized organizations. Doleâs achievements in this area will come from working relationships with our employees, independent producers, labor representatives, government, academia, NGOâs, customers, and suppliers.âDole Food Company, Inc., with 2006 revenues of $6.2 billion, is the worldâs largest producer and marketer of high-quality fresh fruit, fresh vegetables and fresh-cut flowers. Dole markets a growing line of packaged and frozen foods and is a produce industry leader in nutrition education and research.This release contains âforward-looking statements,â within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 that involve a number of risks and uncertainties. Forward looking statements, which are based on managementâs current expectations, are generally identifiable by the use of terms such as âmay,â âwill,â âexpects,â âbelieves,â âintendsâ and similar expressions. The potential risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from those expressed or implied herein include weather-related phenomena; market responses to industry volume pressures; product and raw materials supplies and pricing; changes in interest and currency exchange rates; economic crises and security risks in developing countries; international conflict; and quotas, tariffs and other governmental actions. Further information on the factors that could affect Doleâs financial results is included in its SEC filings, including its Annual Report on Form 10-K.Related posts: