A new partnership between leading France-based fruit distributor Compagnie Fruitiere and the World Wildlife Fund is expected to bolster enviornmental projects and encourage organic farming. 

In a release, Compagnie Fruitiere said the alliance was officially launched in March, aimed at enhancing its ustainable development policy as well as building awareness among its stakeholders on issues related to food waste at the end of the chain.

The three-year partnership is in line with the implementation of the ISO 26000 guidelines, the reference framework of Compagnie Fruitiere for its sustainable development policy.

The French company has claimed the move will help it become a leader in organic production in its sector over the next few years.

"As the leading producer of bananas and pineapples from the ACP area, including Fairtrade and organic bananas, as well as one of the major importers in Europe of fruits from this origin, Compagnie Fruitiere continuously invests in the development of sustainable agriculture, in line with its corporate social responsibility," company president Jérôme Fabre said in a release.

"Through the partnership with WWF France, we intend to enhance our progress-making approach and promote, among our stakeholders, the environmental actions undertaken."

WWF France managing director Pascal Canfin was optimistic about what the project would mean in the country's where the company sources its produce.

"An assessment of the practices of Compagnie Fruitiere and a field visit enabled us to see the progress initiated for many years within the company," Canfin said.

"This partnership will help speed up their various environmental projects, including the experimentation of new production processes in Africa, which are beneficial for the local biodiversity and the populations.

"We will also encourage the development of organic farming and raise awareness, among all the actors of the value chain, on the fight against food waste. As a matter of fact, there is still far too much waste on these fruits as a result of bad handling in the sector as well as bad consumer habits."

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