Mr Apple case study

How Worldwide Fruit and Mr Apple are Leading the Way in Environmental Sustainability

Blue North is writing up a number of case studies on Worldwide Fruit Limited’s (WFL) key growers as part of WFL’s investment in environmental sustainability across their supply base. The aim of these case studies is to raise awareness of the challenges that WFL’s growers deal with on a daily basis, the solutions implemented to overcome these challenges, the ongoing good management practices growers have implemented, as well as plans for improving sustainability into the future.

This case study presents Mr Apple, a leading apple exporter based in Hawke’s Bay region, New Zealand. Mr Apple makes use of Blue North’s SHERPA sustainability management system (www.mysherpa.co.za). 

Mr Apple has made significant efforts towards sustainability in both their orchard and post-harvest operations. In the orchard, they prioritize soil health, water management, carbon sequestration, climate change risk adaptation and mitigation, and integrated pest management to support biodiversity. For example, they have set up a research project to monitor and improve soil health in one of their orchards, which has helped them to deepen understanding of their impact on the ecosystem. They are also monitoring their water use through telemetry, and have partnered with Auckland University of Technology on a carbon sequestration research project. Mr Apple has also implemented various measures to reduce their environmental footprint in post-harvest facilities. These include transitioning to LED lighting and moving towards full automation in one of their packing facilities. They have also reduced their paper use by 38% and waste to landfill by 70%, with initiatives such as installing liner-less labellers and using fiber trays made from recycled materials. The company has been calculating their carbon footprint for the past five years through the Toitū carbonreduce programme, a New Zealand-based carbon footprint calculator, and developed a decarbonisation roadmap to reduce their carbon emissions in the short and long term. All of these initiatives are clear indicators of Mr Apple’s long-term commitment towards embedding sustainability across their business.

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Worldwide Fruit Mr Apple case study