CLEANTECH -
Following numerous reports of slave labor in seafood supply chains, traceability seems to have (finally) become a priority for the industry.
COLLABORATION -
In 1908, Dr. Kikunae Ikeda changed the culinary world forever when he discovered umami as the fifth basic taste (along with sweet, salty, sour and bitter). Aspiring to foster healthy lifestyles and “create good, affordable seasonings and turn simple but nutritious fare into delicacies,” Ikeda invented a method for producing seasoning with glutamate as a key component. The following year, his friend, chemical and pharmaceutical businessman Saburosuke Suzuki II, launched a business venture to begin selling AJI-NO-MOTO®, the world's first umami seasoning, and the Ajinomoto Group was born.
ORGANIZATIONAL CHANGE -
In 2011, Target set a goal for its entire fresh and frozen seafood assortment to be sustainable, traceable, or in a time-bound improvement process by the end of 2015. Through a partnership with consultancy FishWise, the retailer met the goal for 100% of its owned-brand seafood products, and 97% of its full seafood assortment. The remaining products are expected to achieve full compliance by the end of this year.
WASTE NOT -
The Closed Loop Foundation, in partnership with SC Johnson, today awarded two innovation grants to companies working to help solve film plastic packaging recycling:
PRESS RELEASE -
Chick-fil-A® announces today a new initiative that will more than double the company’s investment in Team Members’ college educations – providing $4.9 million in scholarships in 2017 alone, as well as access to tuition discounts and other benefits at more than 70 colleges and universities nationwide. While Chick-fil-A has offered scholarships for more than 40 years, the enhanced initiative, called Remarkable Futures, increases the amount of funding per recipient, allowing students to receive up to $25,000 in scholarships to be applied at any accredited institution of their choice, including online and on-campus formats, and can be combined with tuition discounts and other educational benefits at participating institutions.
COLLABORATION -
Today, brewers, governments NGOs and retailers in 76 countries around the world partnered on the second annual Global Beer Responsibility Day in an effort to promote responsible consumption of beer.
STAKEHOLDER TRENDS AND INSIGHTS -
Today the Global Coffee Platform (GCP), the Specialty Coffee Association of America (SCAA) and the Sustainable Coffee Challenge have publicly launched the Coffee Sustainability Catalogue 2016.
BEHAVIOR CHANGE -
This week, the Union of Concerned Scientists (UCS) released a report — authored by myself and UCS analyst Lael Goodman — that scored 13 fast food, retail, and food manufacturing companies on their deforestation-free beef commitments and practices.
SUPPLY CHAIN -
A new scorecard released today examined thirteen global fast food, retail and food manufacturing companies and found that even the top-scoring of the group are failing to protect South American tropical forests from being converted to pasture for cattle. The clearing of tropical forests contributes about 10 percent of all global warming emissions, and beef production is the largest contributor.
PRESS RELEASE -
All MillerCoors Major Breweries Become Landfill-Free Verified
Verification Confirms that Less Than 1 Percent of Waste Generated at Any Major Brewery Goes to the Landfill
PRESS RELEASE -
MILLERCOORS LAUNCHES MONTHLONG VOLUNTEER EFFORT TO PROTECT WATER
Thousands of Employees Volunteer to Protect Water Resources During Great Water Month
LEADERSHIP -
Today, Sonoma County winemaker Jackson Family Wines (JFW) unveiled its first sustainability report, supported by a list of comprehensive 5-year goals. The family-owned wine company, known for its portfolio of over 30 premium wineries, including household names as Kendall-Jackson, La Crema and Cambria, is a progressive leader in environmentally and socially responsible business practices.
BEHAVIOR CHANGE -
Households in London toss an estimated 900,000 tonnes of food each year, of which 540,000 tonnes could have been eaten. Starting this month and set to run for three years, the latest initiative led by Resource London aims to reduce this avoidable food waste and increase awareness of more healthy and sustainable eating – all while saving Londoners up to £330 million.
COLLABORATION -
For the first time ever, leading food and agriculture supply chain companies and conservation organizations have formed an “end-to-end” partnership to support farmers in the improvement of soil health and water quality.
BEHAVIOR CHANGE -
While consumers have become more aware of food waste issues thanks to media campaigns and numerous initiatives led by startups and large companies alike, such efforts tend to overlook the intricate relationship between food production and water scarcity.
PRESS RELEASE -
PepsiCo, Inc. today announced continued progress against the company's strategy to help protect and conserve global water supplies and provide people access to clean, safe water to communities around the world.
In 2015, PepsiCo reduced its operational water use per unit of production by 26 percent versus a 2006 baseline. This exceeded the company's previously stated goal to reduce operational water use by 20 percent by the end of 2015.
MARKETING AND COMMS -
A new study reveals that consumers’ demand for product transparency is on the rise – overall, they desire more product information and are inclined to be more loyal to brands that provide more detailed insights. About 40 percent say they would switch to a new brand if it offered full product transparency, and 81 percent say they would consider a brand’s entire portfolio of products if they switched to that brand as a result of increased transparency.
CHEMISTRY, MATERIALS & PACKAGING -
Researchers and brewers have found new ways to capture carbon and convert it into stone and ink.
Tiger Beer, working alongside Marcel Sydney and MIT spinoff Graviky Labs, has created the first line of ink made from air pollution. Made entirely from emissions captured from vehicle tailpipes, 150 liters (roughly 40 gallons) of Tiger Air-Ink was put in pens, markers and spray cans so that different types of artists could experiment with it.
CHEMISTRY, MATERIALS & PACKAGING -
Polystyrene packaging and microbeads are no strangers to controversy; both materials harm marine life and can enter the food chain, which has prompted concern from consumers and advocacy groups. Cities such as San Francisco, Seattle and Washington, D.C. have gone so far as to ban polystyrene packaging – and now four London-based chefs are calling for the same in England’s capital.
COLLABORATION -
At SB’16 Cape Town in May, Tetra Pak, South African Airways (SAA) and the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) came together to share their views on the importance of building market demand from environmentally conscious consumers to move sustainable commodities further into the mainstream.