New Zealand kiwifruit exporter Freshco has become the first company to have its kiwis certified as climate-neutral, through a partnership with Dutch organic specialist Eosta.
The kiwifruit is certified by German certification agency TüV Nord, and will be marketed in Europe by Eosta, which already this year has launched apples and pears from South America, vine tomatoes from Holland and citrus fruit from South Africa and Egypt under the climate-neutral label.
To be certified as climate-neutral, a product has to demonstrate that the CO2 emissions related to it have been compensated for. A full life-cycle analysis includes three levels of emissions: those that stem from the production process; those caused by shipping, storage and cooling; and those that result from the manufacture of fertilisers and other off-farm-inputs, packaging materials, and related business travel. After the total amount of emissions are calculated, they can be offset with carbon credits obtained through composting projects.
Volkert Engelsman, managing director of Eosta, said the lines have been introduced into the market in response to consumer concern over global warming, and Freshco’s md Greig Taylor said the move makes perfect sense for his firm. “We wanted to demonstrate that shipping fruit from New Zealand can be environmentally responsible,” he said.
Engelsman said: “We use only carbon credits that were generated by [our subsidiary] Soil & More composting facilities, many of which are implemented and operated by our suppliers. Eosta works with organic growers all over the globe and has encouraged the use of compost for decades. And selling carbon credits puts additional money into the growers’ pocket. We take our credo - ‘where ecology meets economy’ seriously.”
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