Sustainability Framework: The Dole Way

A graphic illustration talking out the dole commitment towards people, nature and food

Sustainability Strategy and Targets

For over 170 years, we have been as proud to deliver nutritious, high-quality produce all around the world, as we have been to take responsibility for the land from which it is grown. And we are equally committed to supporting and enhancing the global communities that ensure we can produce and deliver the quality of produce for which we’re known.

We call this The Dole Way; our enduring commitment to grow, process and distribute our produce responsibly, today and for generations to come. Because being a responsible business is not just second nature, it literally is our business. We are making our commitments clearer than ever where we plan to focus our efforts for the future. The Dole Way paves the way for further improvements in areas where we believe we can make the biggest positive impacts.

Our new, reset goals were developed by representatives across all areas of the company and this means they reflect our combined ambitions and commitment towards making a positive impact. These goals are aligned and contribute to the United Nation’s Sustainable Development Goals (UN SDGs) supporting 10 of the 17 goals. In addition to our enterprise-level goals, each Dole operating division is working to achieve its own set of goals, tailored to the specifics of the produce they grow, pack or distribute in relationship to the needs of their local communities.

Climate remains the challenge of our times and Dole is fully committed to measure and reduce our impacts.

We have completed a company-wide carbon footprint inventory across all three scopes and have defined and updated our 2020 baseline. We have also calculated and submitted a Science-Based Target (SBT) for validation in alignment with a 1.5°C scenario. Along with those targets, we have focused on maintaining and implementing regenerative farm practices, continuously improving soil health and mitigating our impacts.

We are also advancing on other key environmental programs. For example, progress has been made on water stewardship and water risk analysis, a key focus area for many of our crops and producing regions. Our active membership with Alliance for Water Stewardship (AWS) has been particularly valuable to expand our knowledge and define our journey.

2023 Dole plc Sustainability Report

Download our Sustainability Report

We remain committed to the well-being of workers and aim to be an employer of choice everywhere we operate.

We continue to improve communities around our operations and invest in them. We are delighted to report about an ambitious program in Latin America which has been several years in the making to identify the root causes of poverty and address them over time using the Business Multidimensional Poverty Index (bMPI) tool in partnership with Sophia Oxford.

Finally, it’s important to share Dole plc’s relentless effort to promote healthy nutrition to our consumers. It is the core of our mission, and we continue building partnerships to promote fresh produce consumption. We are actively preparing for the upcoming regulatory requirements and will release more data in future reports as it becomes available.