As protesters and activists filled the streets of New York City last week to draw attention to climate change, many food and beverage companies around the globe also touted existing and new commitments to reduce their impact on the planet.
As protesters and activists filled the streets of New York City last week to draw attention to the causes of and potential solutions for climate change, many food and beverage companies around globe also touted existing and new commitments to reduce their impact on the planet.
At the UN Climate Action Summit last week, 19 food manufacturers, ingredient companies and others launched the One Planet Business for Biodiversity coalition with an ambitious shared goal of scaling up regenerative agriculture to protect soil health; using products that boost cultivated biodiversity and the resilience of food and agriculture systems; and eliminate deforestation while also protecting high value ecosystems. The founding companies include Danone, Balbo Group, Barry Callebaut, DSM, Firmenich, Google, Jacobs Douwe Egberts, Kellogg Company, Kering, Livelihoods Funds, L’Oreal, Loblaw Companies Limited, Mars, Migros Ticaret, McCain Foods, Nestlé, Symrise, Unilever and Yara.
Confronted with the staggering economic losses and negative environmental impact of 1.3 billion tons of food lost to waste annually, 10 major retailers committed to each work with 20 of their suppliers to half their food loss and waste by 2030. Founding partners of the 10x20x30 initiative announced last week include AEON, Ahold Delhaize, IKEA Food, Kroger, METRO AG, Pick n Pay, The Savola Group, Sodexo, Tesco and Walmart.
The Sustainable Rice Platform also set a goal for its members and the wider industry to halve postharvest rice loss and waste by 2030. To do so, a taskforce will target hot spots, develop best practices and monitor industry’s progress. If successful, this initiative not only will reduce unnecessary greenhouse gas emissions, it also will improve farm incomes and likely led to ‘better rice’ through more efficient farming systems.
Ten companies and institutions last Tuesday committed to the Cool Food Pledge, which aims to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 25% by 2030 by encouraging people who visit their restaurants and campuses to choose foods with lower carbon footprints. Drawing on emerging behavior science, the strategies will range from “changing menu layouts, to using appetizing language, to offering more plant-focused meals,” according to the World Resources Institute. New participants including IKEA, BASF, the city of Milan in Italy, the Belgium city of Ghent, Harvard University, University of Pittsburgh, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, Seattle Children’s Hospital and the World Bank.
In line with Mars’ ongoing effort to use only renewable energy by 2040, the food giant is now pushing its partners to embrace renewable energy as well. The company’s ‘Pledge For Planet” calls on its suppliers, associates and citizens “to pledge to protect the planet and address the causes of climate change” by setting science-based targets, signing The Climate Group’s RE100 and using renewable energy. Similarly, the company has tapped a “global team of social creators and influencers” to raise awareness of how everyone can participate in the pledge.
At a two-hour workshop last week, the Barilla Center for Food and Nutrition Foundation outlined what the food industry currently is doing to help mitigate climate change and what more it can do to accelerate progress. As part of the workshop, the foundation launched a comprehensive report filled with best practices centered on four core areas: promoting and developing health and sustainable diets, identifying sustainable ways to produce food, developing sustainable food supply chains and being a good corporate citizen. The foundation has made the report – Fixing the Business of Food – available for all.
