THE NEXT ECONOMY -
Food waste is the single largest waste stream lost to disposal and is the leading cause of methane emissions from landfills. While many communities have successfully implemented curbside organics collection, the non-residential sector loses more than 70 percent of food waste to disposal, according to the Recycling Council of Ontario (RCO).
ORGANIZATIONAL CHANGE -
A global food company present in more than 130 markets, Danone has always had a purpose agenda, even when it was an unusual idea. Danone committed to combine economic success and social progress in 1972, when the company’s founder, Antoine Riboud, began Danone’s “dual project.” As Danone has grown, that commitment has been apparent in initiatives such as the Danone Way sustainable-development guidelines that have helped Danone subsidiaries improve their impact since 2001; and the establishment of Danone Communities, which began with a partnership with Mohammed Yunus in Bangladesh in 2006.
COLLABORATION -
One of the greatest aspects of the corporate sustainability movement has to be the paradigm shift that has encouraged companies to collaborate to solve common issues – joining forces across industries and sectors, and even with direct competitors has allowed companies to pool resources and expertise to tackle everything from sourcing, labor, materials, communications, conservation issues and more in holistic and more effective ways.
We spoke with Chief Sustainability Officer Monique Oxender to learn more about how strategic partnerships are helping propel Keurig’s sustainability agenda forward.
WALKING THE TALK -
As food supply chains grow more complex, consumers are setting higher expectations for food quality, safety and sustainability as they seek more aspirational choices around what they eat. But food scares continue to happen, one of the most famous being the horse meat scandal in 2013.
PRODUCT, SERVICE & DESIGN INNOVATION -
Everyone’s gotta eat – and it makes for a big industry. Globally, food and agriculture is a $7.8 trillion industry. Its also growing (pun intended): global investments in the food and agriculture sector have grown three-fold since 2004 and, according to McKinsey, on average have demonstrated higher returns to shareholders than other sectors. In the US, agriculture, food and related industries generated 5.5% of the country’s GDP at $992 billion, $137 billion of that coming directly from US farms.
BUSINESS CASE -
Extreme weather events cost the global economy a record $320 billion in 2017. Food systems are experiencing more shocks than ever before, yet they also cause about one quarter of global greenhouse gas emissions.
PRODUCT, SERVICE & DESIGN INNOVATION -
For the second year, Fast Company is celebrating businesses, policies, and nonprofits that are poised help shift society to a more sustainable and more equitable future with its World Changing Ideas Awards. From melted down guns to nitrogen-producing microbes, there’s quite a bit of variety among 2018’s twelve winners.
SUPPLY CHAIN -
Shortages of raw materials, lower crop quality, and less secure supply are just some of the challenges companies may face due to an emerging pollination deficit – and businesses are largely unaware of the risks, according to a new report by the Cambridge Conservation Initiative.
Around three quarters of food crops depend on pollination, making pollinators worth up to $577 billion annually, of which half comes from wild pollinators. However, pollinator populations are declining rapidly, with more than a third of wild bee and butterfly species facing local extinction.
SUPPLY CHAIN -
Climate change is predicted to reduce the amount of arable land suitable for growing coffee by 50% by 2050. Climatic changes are already impacting coffee production around the world, threatening the global supply, and the endangering the livelihoods of the 25 million families who depend on its production.
SUPPLY CHAIN -
Imagine that your local market stall or supermarket aisle is devoid of staple foodstuffs such as maize, apples and bananas, let alone more ‘exotic’ and luxury products such as chili peppers or hazelnuts (the key ingredient of Nutella, which recently caused havoc in Intermarché supermarkets in France when consumers clambered to buy jars of the cocoa hazelnut spread, which were being offered at a 70 percent discount).
PRESS RELEASE -
Building on Danone's long-term commitment to balancing financial success with social and environmental responsibility, its U.S. subsidiary, formerly known as DanoneWave, commemorates its first anniversary by announcing the achievement of becoming the largest Certified B Corporation® in the world — two years ahead of its declared target — and changing its name to Danone North America.
Two milestones to mark 1st anniversary: new name, new mark of trust
PRESS RELEASE -
Lenexa, Kan. (April 4, 2018)—Farm Journal Media’s Trust In Food™ platform (www.TrustInFood.com) has been named a media partner of SB’18 Vancouver. The global flagship conference of Sustainable Brands will take place June 4–7 at the Vancouver Convention Centre in Vancouver, British Columbia. Along with other media partners of the conference, including Scientific American and Innovation & Tech Today, Trust In Food™ will provide its growing audience of food-system leaders with news and insights from the experts and businesses putting sustainability first in food, agriculture, technology and other industries.
BUSINESS CASE -
In a first-of-its-kind analysis for the hotel industry, food waste reduction programs were shown to be effective and financially beneficial. The research – which was conducted on behalf of Champions 12.3 – studied the costs and benefits of reducing food waste for 42 hotel sites across 15 countries. Over a three-year period, nearly every site realized a positive return on its investment; on average, hotels saved $7 in operating costs for every $1 they had spent on the programs.
WALKING THE TALK -
The Hershey Company has announced a new comprehensive strategy for cocoa sustainability with an emphasis on addressing pressing issues facing cocoa-growing communities such as poverty, poor nutrition, at-risk youth, and vulnerable ecosystems. Cocoa For Good will involve collaborative programs, partnerships, and a half-a-billion dollars in investments by 2030.
MARKETING AND COMMS -
In February, KFC in the United Kingdom had a bit of an issue — it ran out of chicken.
WASTE NOT -
With the public mood turning against plastic waste, British policymakers now have a new cause to rally behind.
CHEMISTRY, MATERIALS & PACKAGING -
The environmentally devastating statistics on the meat industry are staggering. It seems predicated on the idea that the population needs to eat now, so the future can take care of itself. If humanity follows through on that idea, efforts at sustainability will go to waste.
Before you slap another steak on the barbecue this summer, contemplate the following arguments against red meat as we know it:
WASTE NOT -
As much as one third of the world’s food is being wasted. The United States alone wastes roughly 63 million tons, or $218 billion, of food annually. As awareness of this issue has grown over in recent years, a variety of initiatives have taken root.
PRESS RELEASE -
The Humana Foundation, philanthropic arm of Humana Inc. (NYSE: HUM) for the past 37 years, today announced the details of its planned health-focused community investing work for 2018 in its headquarters hometown of Louisville, Ky., as well as in seven additional communities where the foundation intends to make significant community investments this year.
Strategic Community Investments in ‘Bold Goal’ communities
PRESS RELEASE -
Danone today announces the successful launch of a €300 million bond to finance and refinance
projects that include positive social impacts. This innovative Social Bond is the first to be issued by a
multinational aligned with the new Social Bond Principles, as set out in June 2017 by the
International Capital Market Association.
A few weeks after the integration of ESG (Environment, Social and Governance) criteria in the
payable margin of its €2bn syndicated loan, this pioneering bond issuance continues to support
Danone’s long-term ambition to leading the way to creating and sharing sustainable value. It
attracted significant appetite from investors focused on ESG and was subscribed at attractive
market conditions.