SUPPLY CHAIN -
BASF, Cargill, Procter & Gamble and Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH have joined together in a development partnership under the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development's (BMZ) develoPPP.de program. The partnership will help establish a sustainably certified and transparent supply chain of coconut oil in the Philippines and Indonesia.
PRESS RELEASE -
BASF, Cargill, Procter & Gamble (P&G), and the Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH have joined together in a development partnership under the develoPPP.de programme by the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ). The partnership will help establish a sustainable certified and transparent supply chain of coconut oil in the Philippines and Indonesia.
PRODUCT, SERVICE & DESIGN INNOVATION -
Expanding its commitment to innovation in the food industry, Nestlé has teamed up with Rabobank and Rocketspace to support startups through the Terra Food + Agtech Accelerator Program. The food giant will collaborate with Terra to select and coach the most forward-thinking and disruptive startups in the food and agricultural industries.
SUPPLY CHAIN -
Big news from Mexico – a groundbreaking regenerative economy project has just become official. The Patamban indigenous community, part of the Purepecha nation in the state of Michoacán, will be the chief beneficiaries of what will be a 12,000-hectare plantation producing a valuable commodity: pine resin.
COLLABORATION -
Two of the world’s leaders in sustainable agriculture and certification, Rainforest Alliance and UTZ have announced plans to merge later this year in an effort to simplify the certification process for sustainable agriculture.
SUPPLY CHAIN -
The palm oil industry is undergoing a major transformation with public and private stakeholders ramping up efforts to make sustainability an industry mainstay. Last month Greenpeace suspended its active campaign against IOI Group after the palm oil producer announced plans to eliminate deforestation and exploitation from its supply chain. And earlier this week, BNP Paribas rolled out a new palm oil policy that sets responsible palm oil production as a pre-condition for financing.
SUPPLY CHAIN -
Fifty of the world’s largest businesses, retailers and fishing companies from across the tuna supply chain have banded together to stamp out illegal, unreported and unregulated fishing in their industry, protect the health of oceans and eliminate forced labor from fishing vessels.
WALKING THE TALK -
The Farm to Fork Disconnect
Nowhere is the disconnect between people and planet more evident than in our broken food system. For the vast majority of human history, people lived in rural communities shaped by the natural environment. The ebb and flow of seasons, the right amount of rainfall and its impact on the all-important harvest, dominated lives and livelihoods. But today, over half the world’s population lives in an urban dwelling and by 2050 this is predicted to increase to 70 percent. With the rise of sprawling mega cities comes obesity and its related health problems; with a shrinking and aging rural population comes poverty and malnutrition; in the meantime, the gap between the farm and our forks grows ever wider.
SUPPLY CHAIN -
The Marine Stewardship Council (MSC) has released a new report highlighting the positive impact certification can have in delivering the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). The MSC Global Impacts Report 2017 details more than a thousand examples of positive change being made by certified fisheries to safeguard fish stocks and marine habitats.
SUPPLY CHAIN -
British supermarket group Sainsbury’s has launched its own in-house sustainability standard, provoking backlash from The Fairtrade Foundation and Fairtrade producers alike.
PRESS RELEASE -
Detroit Ento wins startup competition at SB’17 Detroit
SUPPLY CHAIN -
Cotton is often king in discussions surrounding the creation of a more sustainable apparel industry, yet over 120 million trees are felled every year — 30 percent of which originate from ancient and endangered forests — to produce textiles such as viscose and rayon.
SUPPLY CHAIN -
By 2050, our global population will grow by more than 2 billion, which will require 70 percent more food. In addition to rising demand, companies are facing increasing scrutiny on the environmental impacts across their value chains. While improvements in processing and packaging are helping brands progress on sustainability, interventions at farm level are essential for driving real change.
We recently spoke with Pure Strategies’ Co-Founder and Managing Director, Tim Greiner, to learn more about how brands and farmers both are working together to usher the industry towards a more sustainable future.
SUPPLY CHAIN -
The fashion and textile industry is in the midst of a paradigm shift with key industry stakeholders working to drive sustainable cotton towards the mainstream.
BUSINESS CASE -
It’s been a busy year for Nestlé – joining various initiatives and making strategic investments aimed at everything from boosting recycling infrastructure to developing bio-based packaging to improving consumer eating habits.
We spoke with Nestlé’s President of Corporate Affairs, Paul Bakus, ahead of his appearance this week at SB’17 Detroit, to learn how the food giant is leveraging partnerships to achieve its many sustainability goals.
PRESS RELEASE -
SAN FRANCISCO, May 17, 2017 – Sustainable Brands® recently unveiled the session schedule for the Activation Hub at SB’17 Detroit, running May 22-25th at the Cobo Center in downtown Detroit. The Activation Hub is the action-centered space within the conference program that allows attendees to collaborate on new tools, resources and ideas to accelerate sustainability-led innovation.
COLLABORATION -
Cotton is an integral part of the apparel and textile industry providing livelihoods for over 300 million people across the globe. The environmental and social implications of cotton production are, however, significant.
WALKING THE TALK -
A year after being suspended from the Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil (RSPO) and dropped by companies such as Unilever, Mars, Incorporated, Nestlé and Kellogg for clearing peatlands in Kalimantan, Indonesia, Malaysian palm oil producer IOI Group has announced plans to eliminate deforestation and exploitation throughout its supply chain.
COLLABORATION -
In the wake of deindustrialization and economic decline, community initiatives have been crucial for helping Detroit get back on its feet. The Michigan Urban Farming Initiative (MUFI) is a volunteer-based non-profit working to revitalize Detroit’s North End neighborhood by using urban agriculture as a platform to promote education, sustainability and community, thereby empowering communities and addressing deeply rooted social issues.
PRESS RELEASE -
BASF has signed an agreement to acquire US-based company ZedX, a leader in the development of digital agricultural intelligence. The acquisition is expected to be completed within four weeks.
ZedX’s expertise lies in the development of agronomic weather, crop, and pest models that can rapidly translate data into insights for more efficient agricultural production. With the planned acquisition, BASF strengthens its digital farming footprint and further invests in helping growers take advantage of the increasing amount of big data generated in farming and beyond.