ZESPRI™ introduces its new 100% cardboard tray in pursuit of sustainability
“Sustainability is one of our main values, from our crops and packaging centres to our markets. As an organisation and an industry, it is critical to be able to continue to adapt our practices to ensure a sustainable future.”
The words of Enrique Guío, Marketing Manager at Zespri™, demonstrate the clear objectives of this company, a benchmark in the fresh fruit market with the best kiwis grown in more than 60 countries.
Zespri’s taken another step towards achieving its goals for sustainable business development by 2025, outlined in2020, with the implementation of its new 100% cardboard trays in the Spanish market. Both its Zespri™ Green and Zespri™ Sungold™ varieties, as well as its organic options, are already being presented in this new packaging available in three major retailers nationwide, with plans afoot to expand further over the coming months.
“In Europe, where Spain is one of our main markets, we are working to ensure our packaging is sustainable. Our main objective is to eliminate plastic and increase the use of recyclable materials in harmony with circular processes, and this is already a big step,” said María Julia Martínez, Zespri™ Sustainability Lead in Europe and North America.
In recent years, Zespri™ has created control systems to analyse the life cycle of its packaging and discover how to develop the most sustainable solutions without compromising the quality of its products. To date, 90% of the brand’s packaging in Europe is recyclable, reusable or compostable, coming close to achieving its goal of reaching 100% by 2025.
Next steps
The labels on each kiwi will be replaced by compostable labels that are currently in the development and testing stage. These labels can be disposed of along with the skin of the fruit and disintegrate together. This represents a further measure to ensure that kiwifruit and packaging are fully sustainable within three years.
Other points of the company’s environmental roadmap include having a positive carbon footprint by 2035, a production adaptation plan based on climate change and an intention to support the communities in which it operates.
Zespri™ promotes healthier lifestyles in 2022 with various programmes in different markets and cares for the environment.
ABOUT ZESPRI®
Zespri™ International Limited, a benchmark company in the fresh fruit market, markets Zespri™ kiwifruit in 60 countries, offering the best product in terms of quality, nutritional value and flavour. Research is a priority at Zespri™ and it focuses on developing new varieties of kiwifruit with the highest quality standards to delight consumers and guarantee a totally trustworthy fruit.
