Dole Announces its Promises, Bringing Interdependent Prosperity to People and the Planet

Dole Packaged Foods and Dole Asia Fresh, divisions of Dole Asia Holdings Pte. Ltd.. announced today “The Dole Promise,” which aims to increase access to sustainable nutrition, decrease food waste, plastics in packaging and carbon emissions and grow value for the company’s stakeholders, including farmers and shareholders.

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“The Dole Promise reflects the recognition that 'business as usual' is unacceptable in the face of a looming food crisis and the growing expectations of the next generation," said Pier Luigi Sigismondi, President of Dole Packaged Foods. “The impacts of the COVID-19 global pandemic could see 265 million additional people pushed to the brink of starvation by the end of this year,¹ double the numbers of last year. At the same time, the challenges of climate change, resource waste and declining natural resources still must be addressed. We believe it is time for a change, and we are taking action where we can be most effective – within our own business.”

The promise draws on the spirit of ‘Sampo Yoshi,’ an 18th century Japanese philosophy that views the well-being of society and business as interdependent, and ensures the business is beneficial to the seller, to the buyer and to the community.

“The triple-win concept of ‘Sampo Yoshi’ has been part of Japanese culture for centuries, and is now at the heart of The Dole Promise as we play our part in helping to restore balance in the world by doubling down on our mission to put the health of the planet at the heart of everything we do,” said Richard Toman, President Dole Asia Fresh Division. “It’s a promise that Dole is making to do business differently, and to join forces with those who are equally committed to bringing back the goodness of the earth.”

The Dole Promise frames this philosophy to include:

Better for People:

• Access to sustainable nutrition for 1 billion people by 2025
• Moving towards zero processed sugar in all Dole products by 2025

Better for Planet:

• Moving towards zero fruit loss from Dole farms to markets by 2025
• Moving towards zero fossil-based plastic packaging by 2025
• Aiming for net zero carbon emissions in Dole operations by 2030

Better for all Stakeholders:

• Dole will continue to positively impact all farmers, communities and people working for Dole – through its commitment to equal opportunity, living wages, and an ever-increasing level of safety, nutrition, and wellbeing. The company also seeks to advance human rights within the direct operations and supply chains by building a culture of transparency and accountability. The company also aims for a 50% increase in the value of its business by 2025.

The growing problem of food inequality, which existed before the pandemic, has now reached crisis proportions and needs a collective effort to address. Dole’s commitment to increase access to sustainable nutrition will play a role, along with its effort to eliminate food waste.

“Our promise is not just about improving our world today,” said Sigismondi. "We have a responsibility to future generations to work towards a more equitable and sustainable future.”

The launch video, “Dear Leaders of the World,” gives voice to the concern of today’s youth about their generation’s future if something doesn’t change now.

“The next generation is right to question why we have left problems like climate change for so long. There are inter-generational repercussions. That is why we are increasing our efforts in key areas like reducing carbon emissions and working towards removing plastic packaging from our supply chain. Our promise puts the heart of the planet and people at the center of everything we do,” added Sigismondi.

Elevating the end-to-end value chain

Addressing the many gaps in access to good nutrition and reduction of waste cannot be done alone. Dole is partnering with Solidaridad; an international civil society organization with over fifty years of experience in creating fair and sustainable supply chains from producer to consumer across five continents. They are developing innovative solutions for healthy and sustainable food systems ensuring that farmers and workers have a living income, influence over their destiny, and can produce in balance with nature. Dole is also enlisting the help of Forum for the Future, an organisation that works in partnership with business, governments and civil society to accelerate the shift toward a sustainable future, Future Food Institute a center of excellence for food intelligence and the food innovation ecosystem and Rocana, a venture capital firm focused on clean and functional nutrition.

Later this year, Dole is launching the Sunshine for All™ Investment Fund to support additional strategic partnerships and strategic investments in these areas around the world. The US$2 million annual fund will work with innovators, start-ups and progressive partners to help deliver on the Dole Promise in key areas such as nutrition products, materiality, advisory and implementation of crucial practices to help achieve the ambitions that have been set.

Additionally, Dole is bringing these commitments inside their company walls, with employee programs that educate and encourage all Dole employees to live “The Dole Promise.”

To see the full details of the Dole Promise and the Sunshine for All investment fund visit sunshineforall.com and download the Dole Promise visual here.

Dole Asia Holdings Pte. Ltd.

Dole Asia Holdings Pte. Ltd., is a worldwide leader and innovator in the production and marketing of high-quality packaged fruit and healthy snacks. Dole Asia Holdings is also one of Asia's largest producers and marketers of high-quality fresh fruits and vegetables. For more information please visit dolesunshine.com or doleintlcsr.com. The Dole Promises are from the Dole Asia Holdings group of companies, and apply to their products, which can be seen at sunshineforall.com

¹https://www.mercycorps.org/blog/quick-facts-global-hunger#global-hunger

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