preventing pollution and reducing the overall impact of our operations on the environment.
Sustainability
Indigo Fruit Farming recognise that we have our feet planted firmly in the soil of various provinces and are dedicated to make a lasting contribution in terms of environmental sustainability as well as the sustainability of human livelihoods of the communities in which we operate.
We are committed to:
- maintaining an internal management structure for the management of environmental issues which includes clearly defined responsibilities for environmental management capable of delivering this policy commitment
- complying with, and where possible exceeding applicable legal and other requirements relating to the organisation.
- monitoring our environmental performance and setting objectives and targets for improvement
- providing appropriate training and awareness programmes for our personnel
The continuous development of cleaner and greener processes and practices form an integral part of the company’s commitment to make a lasting contribution in terms of sustainability. It’s the right thing to do. Some initiatives include:
Solar
Solar plants at each of the packhouses will soon reduce our carbon footprint and contribute to a decrease in electricity use. Planned combined energy generation per hour will be in excess of 2000 kW/hour.
Saving Water
We have an on-going programme of eradication of invasive alien vegetation such as Lantana and bugweed, plants which also present a fire hazard on our farms. Invasive poplar trees in our rivers are cut back to minimise water losses and to encourage the natural flow of our rivers.
Preserving our natural fauna and flora
With more than 4,000 hectares of mountain and natural areas we are committed to preserving our natural vegetation by fencing, maintaining firebreaks and in eliminating poaching.
Recycling
Indigo’s northern packhouses are trialling a project whereby the backing liner of fruit stickers are recycled in conjunction with one of our major label suppliers, Label Pro and Avery Dennison, a manufacturer and distributor of adhesive materials. The lining will be re-enter the system as tissue paper.
Integrated pest management
Integrated pest management is a fundamental part of Indigo’s environmentally sound, sustainable and responsible approach to the management of pests and diseases. Beneficial agents, including various species of small parasitic wasps, ladybird beetles, predatory mites and an entomopathogenic virus are encouraged, protected and released on scientific basis in our orchards for the control of pests, such as mealybug, scale, false codling moth, various mites and flies. This enables us to farm in closer harmony with nature and produce fruit with lower chemical residues for our discerning customers.