Company’s second CRD report lays out plans for further development of environment-focused projects
New Zealand’s largest apple exporter Scales Corporation says it is adapting to environmental uncertainty and responding to market demand with what it describes as proactive investment in premium fruit varieties, infrastructure resilience, and sustainability.
In its second climate-related disclosures (CRD) report, the group highlighted major strategic shifts in response to climate risk, particularly in its apple production and export business, Mr Apple.
Those changes include expansion of its licensed apple production capacity with the recent acquisition of 240ha of Bostock orchards – 110ha of which are planted with Dazzle, a variety seen as higher-value and more climate-resilient.
Overall, premium apple volumes are set to make up around 80 per cent of the group’s total production in the coming years.
Following 2023’s Cyclone Gabrielle, which caused orchard damage in Hawke’s Bay, Scales said it had reinstated a regenerative agriculture trial near Napier and established a second one nearby.
These initiatives aim to improve soil health, reduce reliance on man-made inputs, and improve climate resilience in apple production.
Further investments in frost fans, hail netting feasibility, and stronger orchard structures also mark a shift toward climate-adaptive infrastructure, the report noted.
Elsewhere, the company said it installed 13 new water meters on its orchards in 2024, and aimed to reduce its water footprint further this year.
Meanwhile, having already started to assess its own scope one and two carbon emissions, this year it said it would look more closely at its scope three emissions, which account for 83 per cent of its total emissions.
Mr Apple is currently the only Scales division with emissions targets, which were set in 2018 and have mostly been surpassed.
These targets, and new group-wide emissions goals, will be refreshed following Scales’ broader strategic update in 2025, it noted.
Climate-related disclosures (CRDs) are financial reports that companies in New Zealand are required to provide, detailing their climate-related risks and opportunities, including their impact on the company’s financial position and performance.
