Del Monte Foods Begins Trials on Two New Plant-Based Plastic Alternatives

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Del Monte Foods has published its fiscal year 2021 Sustainability Report, highlighting, among other goals and commitments, trials on two new plant-based plastic alternatives for packaging.

Del Monte Foods' 2021 Sustainability Report shares progress across the company's three sustainability pillars: Cultivating a Healthy Planet; Nurturing People and Communities; and Growing Accessible Nutrition. It was informed by a 2020 Materiality assessment as well as the Global Reporting Initiative (GRI) and the Sustainability Accounting Standards Board (SASB) Index.

Highlights include:

  • Decreased Scope 1 carbon emissions by 7% and Scope 2 carbon emissions by 32%.
  • Advanced practices that protect biodiversity including a roughly 18% increase in the number of acres that grow cover crops, resulting in nearly all of the company's vegetable growers adopting this practice.
  • Started trials on two new plant-based plastic alternatives while expanding recyclable packaging to roughly 96%.
  • Diverted more than 10 million pounds of small peach cuts from going to landfill, packaged and distributed in partnership with Feeding America to those facing food insecurity.

In regard to the company’s plastic usage, the report states that since 2009, Del Monte Foods has been reducing the use of plastics and metal through the light weighting of its packaging. Despite increasing its volume of sales, the company’s packaging today uses 11.4 million pounds less plastic and 34.5 million pounds less metal than in 2009. Currently, the company is developing a compostable fruit cup using bioplastics as well as a fruit cup that contains post-consumer recycled content.

In terms of biodiversity, Del Monte states that following practices to protect biodiversity:

  • Regenerating topsoil by rotating crops, using cover crops and applying organic compost.
  • Analyzing new plant varietals to ensure they are adapted well to the local environment.
  • Employing integrated pest management to reduce pesticide runoff into waterways.
  • Banning pesticide application when pollinators are present.

Environment + Energy Leader