Last week, banana company Chiquita organised a press visit at their ripening plant in Gorinchem, the Netherlands. The reason for this was the Dutch National Day of Sustainability. During this day, sustainable initiatives had been put in the spotlight throughout the country. One of these initiatives is the CO2-neutral banana ripening plant in Gorinchem.
After a presentation about Chiquita’s sustainability policy, the journalists were given a tour around the plant, during which the ripening process, the energy saving and new technologies were explained. For example, sustainable measures are applied in the building and in the ripening process, such as an air flow system and the use of natural coolants, so that no CO2 is released. The heat and cold store from the ripening process are used to heat up and cool down the building.
Peter Bolijn, Marketing Manager Benelux of Chiquita: “Chiquita has been working on making the banana production more sustainable for 25 years, and our blue sticker represents sustainable bananas. That’s the reason why efficient and sustainable company processes have been implemented throughout the supply chain, by renewing the cooling systems and water saving systems, for instance. During the Day of Sustainability, we wanted to show the route taken by the banana, and how we make every step in the supply chain more sustainable.”