Chiquita represents…

High Standards of Environmental and Social Awareness

We take our responsibility to the environment seriously. Chiquita is committed to preserving the environment through enlightened agricultural and ecological practices, and sponsorship of much needed conservation projects and wildlife studies. We actively fund and implement programs to protect the environment where we operate and encourage our independent banana growers to achieve the same standards. Our wide-ranging programs include reforestation, rainforest conservation, soil erosion, biodiversity, water quality and waste programs. Chiquita also works with independent international conservation groups, including the Rainforest Alliance, Conservation International, and World Wildlife Fund (WWF), to improve general standards of banana production.

Chiquita has voluntarily committed to the high standards of the Rainforest Alliance since 1992. The program certifies farms that follow environmentally and socially responsible agricultural practices.  These strict standards include zero tolerance for deforestation, reduction in pesticide use, protection of wildlife, conservation of water and soils, better pay, environmental education and worker health and safety. 

All of Chiquita’s owned banana farms in Latin America have been certified annually to Rainforest Alliance standards since 2000.  In addition, more than 90 percent of the bananas we source from independent grower farms in Latin America are also Rainforest Alliance-certified.

Our Fruit Ingredients facilities in Costa Rica and Ecuador use the Costa Rican Ministry of Energy and Environment’s Bandera Ecológica program as the basis for the environmental management system in both locations.  This program requires external audits to ensure effective operation and identify areas for improvement.  Fundamental aspects of the system include incorporating sustainable development into the company’s objectives and processes, worker health protections, fair treatment of consumers and implementation of an environmental management system. 

In 2002, we undertook the risk-based food-safety standards for fruits and vegetables of EurepGAP.  All Chiquita-owned banana farms have achieved EurepGAP certification and 95 percent of all farms from which our plant in Costa Rica sources bananas have EurepGAP certification.

ETI member companies commit to adopting the standards that are contained in the ETI Base Code, a labor standards code based on the core ILO conventions. In 2002, ETI accepted Chiquita as a full member of the organization.

Chiquita believes in and practices reducing, reusing and recycling waste. For example we recycle peels from our banana processing plants and convert them into organic fertilizer in a small pilot composting plant. This produces roughly 50,000 pounds (22,727 kilograms) of organic mulch per week which is applied to the banana plantation. It’s our way of helping Mother Nature!

- Chiquita  used recycled plastic to construct this pedestrian bridge in Costa Rica

- Children plant trees in Bocas, Panama, at an Environmental Awareness Fair