Installing electric vehicle charging stations at our corporate headquarters

Fresh Del Monte is installing electric vehicle charging stations at our Australian corporate headquarters, giving employees and visitors a practical route to lower-emission transport. The project supports our wider commitment to responsible fresh food supply chains, where energy, logistics, sourcing and community wellbeing are closely connected. It also creates a visible example that can be tested, measured and improved.

Rather than treating charging hardware as a stand-alone technology, we are approaching it as part of a broader transition plan. The charge points will support company vehicles, employee travel and visitor needs, while equipment and electricity choices are assessed for durability, affordability and emissions impact. Reporting results keeps environmental claims tied to operational evidence and makes lessons useful to Fresh Del Monte sites across Australia.

Why charging fits our sustainability priorities

The project sits within our CSR commitments, linking environmental protection with healthy food, community development and ethical operations. Around our Australian headquarters, energy choices affect employees, contractors and visitors, as well as the reputation of a company handling fresh produce from farm to consumer. Workplace charging creates a visible connection between operational efficiency and the social environment around our business.

Electric vehicles can lower greenhouse gas emissions when charged with cleaner electricity, but the benefit depends on how infrastructure is powered and used. We prioritise avoided fossil-fuel travel, renewable electricity matching and efficient charge points rather than vehicle numbers alone. Transport electrification complements work on cold-chain efficiency, renewable energy and responsible sourcing; it does not replace it.

Community value comes from making the transition practical. Reliable workplace charging can support staff without private garages, while published access, pricing and safety rules help visitors avoid unexpected costs. Where local electricity and security conditions permit, we will consider weekend or evening access for surrounding businesses. Inclusion and trust are project outcomes that belong beside carbon performance.

Designing chargers around Australian driving

Australia’s electric vehicle market is expanding as new models become more affordable and the federal New Vehicle Efficiency Standard influences manufacturer line-ups. Drivers increasingly compare range, charging apps, membership discounts and home running costs, much as they once compared fuel prices. Access remains uneven: Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane have strong public-charging networks, while regional routes and apartment precincts present different coverage, parking and connection challenges.

These habits shape how the headquarters should work. Many employees arrive, spend a full workday and leave, making workplace charging useful for daily commutes and business travel. Apartment residents may depend on shared or destination charging because they cannot install a dedicated home charge point. A balanced mix of alternating-current units for long stays and selected direct-current fast chargers for urgent or high-energy needs can serve these patterns without oversizing demand or occupying valuable parking unnecessarily.

State and territory incentives, electricity tariffs and building rules also differ across Australia, so charger rollout must respond to the local market rather than copy one uniform template. Rebates and network rules can change; grants should therefore be treated as a variable input, not the basis of the business case. Every installation must meet applicable electrical safety and wiring requirements, relevant Australian and New Zealand standards, accessibility needs and any approval required by the electricity network operator.

Connecting infrastructure to cleaner electricity

Before construction, a site load assessment should establish available capacity, tariff timing, switchgear condition and the effect of simultaneous charging. Smart charge points can schedule demand around off-peak periods, limit site demand and prevent costly peaks without restricting drivers’ access. Fleet vehicles with predictable routes may be charged overnight, while employees could receive scheduling guidance during the day. This orchestration is central to making charging dependable without transferring excessive costs to the wider grid.

Hardware efficiency is only one part of the energy equation. We will evaluate renewable electricity contracts and credible certificate products, such as the Australian Certified GreenPower scheme, against the load served at the headquarters. Solar generation can reduce daytime demand, but it should not be counted as supplying every charge unless production data supports that claim. Transparent reporting should separate renewable procurement, on-site generation and grid electricity so stakeholders can understand the emissions profile accurately.

Australian conditions also test infrastructure. Brisbane’s summer heat, coastal storms and intense rainfall call for appropriately rated equipment, drainage and maintenance, while cooler conditions in Melbourne and Sydney still require safe cable and enclosure design. Reliability targets, lightning and surge protection, planned inspections and a clear fault-response process matter as much as the number of ports installed. A charger that is unavailable or unsafe undermines trust long after its opening-day photograph is taken.

Installing safely, inclusively and responsibly

Construction belongs with qualified, appropriately licensed electrical contractors, supported by our procurement standards. Network approval, isolation procedures, earthing, protection and commissioning tests must be documented before the charge points enter service. Equipment used for civil works and cable routing—including electrical power tools—must be inspected, correctly rated and operated by competent people under the contractor’s safety system. Temporary traffic and parking controls will keep employees, visitors and deliveries safe.

An accessible installation begins with more than parking bay markings. Cable reach, screen height, lighting, weather protection, clear controls and step-free routes should be included in the design, with disability consultation where practical. Charging bays need enough space for common vehicle shapes and safe door opening without blocking accessible parking. Signage should explain after-hours access, fees and fault reporting in plain language so the system is understandable to people who are not EV specialists.

Responsible purchasing extends to the products, labour and services around the chargers. Specifications should prioritise repairability, parts availability, verified safety claims and realistic warranties rather than short-term price alone. We will also look for energy-management features that avoid locking the site into one vendor. Transparent tendering, fair employment standards and conflict-of-interest controls preserve the ethical-business expectations that apply throughout Fresh Delmonte’s wider supply chain.

Measuring impact beyond the charger

Success should be judged with operational and environmental indicators: charger uptime, sessions, utilisation by employee, fleet and visitor groups, electricity consumed, renewable matching, avoided petrol use and greenhouse gas reductions against a defined baseline. Usage must be understood before the fleet expands, since utilisation varies with tariffs, working patterns and travel. Publishing methods, assumptions and annual results will show whether the installation genuinely changes behaviour or merely shifts equipment onto the site.

The same pursuit of measurable transport efficiency appears in our reported banana boat efficiency gains, where a 20 per cent reduction in carbon footprint shows how route, loading and vessel improvements can lower emissions. An EV charger is a smaller intervention than a redesigned cold-chain vessel, but the discipline is comparable: identify the source of impact, test practical changes, measure the result and scale what works. Sharing lessons across routes and facilities can multiply the value.

Reporting should also acknowledge limits. An electric vehicle displacing a petrol car can save more emissions than one replacing a hybrid, while congestion or a long idle vehicle can reduce the benefit. Avoided-emissions estimates should use a recognised method and update the grid emissions factor over time. Periodic reviews can then refine charger size, renewable procurement and access rules rather than treating the initial installation as the endpoint.

A phased path to responsible EV adoption

A phased rollout keeps the project technically sound and commercially accountable. The first stage establishes demand and infrastructure capacity; the second refines the charger mix through actual usage; and later stages can extend across company sites or shared fleet arrangements. A concise set of implementation priorities keeps decisions aligned:

• Complete a parking, grid-capacity and charger-demand study before fixing the number of ports.
• Provide a balanced mix of workplace chargers, fast charging and clearly identified accessible bays.
• Publish charging prices, availability, data use and fault-reporting methods for users.
• Track utilisation, emissions, uptime and user experience before expanding the network.

Procurement can use performance-based specifications and competitive bids, with warranties and maintenance tied to measured reliability. A limited initial installation allows the team to test tariffs, booking rules and communication before larger civil works. Lessons can then flow to Australian offices and distribution sites, where charger demand may differ because of fleet size, shift patterns and distance from depots. Partnerships with electricity networks, fleet providers and charging operators can improve access, subject to fair commercial terms, data protection and safe operation.

The lasting lesson is that workplace charging works best when clean transport, cleaner energy and accountable operations reinforce one another. At our headquarters, every charge point should represent a measurable step toward a lower-emission Fresh Delmonte, with benefits that extend to our people, communities and environment.