Business 2.0: Chiquita cleans up its act - August 1, 2006
Business 2.0: Chiquita cleans up its act - August 1, 2006
At first, Dave McLaughlin didn’t tell his bosses at Chiquita that he was talking to environmentalists, much less taking their suggestions. After all, the banana company’s executives so mistrusted the “greens” that meetings with them often turned into shouting matches.
“They would sit at opposite ends of the table,” McLaughlin says.
But what began as a dialogue between McLaughlin, then a Chiquita (Charts) general manager in Costa Rica, and the nonprofit Rainforest Alliance has since cleared a path toward a companywide transformation. Starting in 1992, McLaughlin essentially used his two Costa Rican farms as test beds to rein in environmental abuses.
Four healthy habits
1) Chiquita now recycles 100 percent of the plastic bags and twine used on its farms.
2) The company cut pesticide use by 26 percent while providing better protective gear for workers.
3) Improved working conditions include Chiquita-built housing and schools for employees’ families.
4) Buffer zones along farm borders help prevent chemical runoff and erosion.