ORGANIZATIONAL CHANGE -
Kashi continues to expand its Certified Transitional portfolio, announcing that with the support of consumers, it will now source Certified Transitional ingredients from more than 4,200 acres of farmland across the US — a 400 percent increase since the start of the program in 2016. Participating farmers have received more than $1 million to support their transition from conventional to organic.
THE NEXT ECONOMY -
A shift in consumer awareness around sustainability is causing a surge in demand for plant-based proteins — an emerging market opportunity that global food companies won’t want to miss.
CHEMISTRY, MATERIALS & PACKAGING -
Single-use plastics continue to lose their appeal as the global community rallies around the concept of a circular economy. The UK, in particular, is taking the lead, setting a new standard for both the public and private sector, while food and beverage giant Nestlé is helping ease the transition away from a take-make-dispose model.
PRESS RELEASE -
HEINEKEN today announced its 'Drop the C' programme for renewable energy. With 'Drop the C' the company aims to grow its share of renewable thermal energy and electricity in production from the current level of 14% to 70% by 2030. HEINEKEN wants to drive a real change towards renewable energy and will therefore not purchase unbundled certificates to meet its reduction targets. In addition, new emission goals will be set for distribution and cooling and, for the first time, also for packaging. The brewer commits to set science based targets for these areas in the next two years.
PRESS RELEASE -
General Motors is taking its composting program – one of its most successful examples of circular economy – to a whole new level at its global headquarters located in the Renaissance Center (GMRENCEN) in Detroit.
What started as a compost collection program with select restaurants at the RENCEN has now expanded to include participation from all floors and occupants of the complex. Through this expansion, the automaker hopes to reduce its environmental impact and contribute to the city’s revitalization.
CHEMISTRY, MATERIALS & PACKAGING -
Plastic packaging continues on its downward spiral as supermarkets, government and even the Queen begin to explore more sustainable alternatives.
Kiwi supermarket chain New World is setting a new standard for the food industry by drastically reducing the amount of plastic packaging stocking its shelves.
PRESS RELEASE -
Today, Nestlé® Pure Life® Purified Water, the world's leading bottled water brand, is announcing the introduction of a 700-mL bottle made from 100 percent food grade recycled plastic*, known as rPET. The new package is available starting this month on retail store shelves in North America.
“Nestlé Waters North America is the original bottled water company in the U.S., and environmental sustainability is an integral part of our company’s purpose and heritage,” said Antonio Sciuto, Executive Vice President and Chief Marketing Officer for Nestlé Waters North America. “This new bottle made from 100 percent recycled plastic for our namesake brand is the latest way we’re satisfying consumer demand for healthy hydration on-the-go and inspiring consumers to recycle.”
ORGANIZATIONAL CHANGE -
Heineken has unveiled a new sustainability strategy that will see the brewer increase renewable energy production, set science-based targets across distribution, cooling and packaging, and pilot an internal carbon pricing scheme.
CHEMISTRY, MATERIALS & PACKAGING -
As part of its commitment to serve both people and the planet responsibly, morning mainstay Dunkin’ Donuts has unveiled plans to eliminate polystyrene foam cups in its global supply chain by 2020. The phase-out will begin later this year and will see the coffeehouse giant replace conventional foam coffee cups with a double-walled paper alternative. The company’s transition to paper cups will remove nearly one billion foam cups from the waste stream annually.
MARKETING AND COMMS -
Absolut is leading the way for transparency with a new campaign that proves that it really is ‘the vodka with nothing to hide.’ The Åhus, Sweden-based distiller has created a short film that takes viewers on a revealing journey to discover Absolut Vodka’s CO2 neutral distillation process and sustainable ethos.
SUPPLY CHAIN -
The Monterey Bay Aquarium Seafood Watch® program, already the global standard for environmentally responsible seafood, has created a new tool that allows businesses to assess the potential risk of forced labor, human trafficking and child labor in fisheries.
CLEANTECH -
Dutch financial firm Rabobank has shared the names of the 20 startups to participate in the FoodBytes! event in San Francisco on 1 March 2018.
BUSINESS CASE -
A new study on Ontario’s craft beer industry takes a systems-wide approach to dealing with the sustainable growth challenge, and how we can deliver shared prosperity — with important insights for brewers and industry stakeholders everywhere.
WASTE NOT -
Globally, food loss and waste prevention efforts at farm and production level are, in many respects, still in their infancy. Many growers around the world are not required to record or report on their post-harvest crop losses — the dearth of data in this area makes it hard to determine exactly how much food never makes it beyond the farm gate.
WASTE NOT -
Around 52 million tons of food are wasted each year in the United States despite 1 in 7 US citizens lacking reliable access to sufficient, affordable and nutritious food. While raising consumer awareness is an important food waste reduction strategy, interventions at the corporate level have a crucial role to play in addressing the issue on a large scale.
CHEMISTRY, MATERIALS & PACKAGING -
Beverage giants Coca-Cola and Evian and global packaging company Amcor have announced new efforts that will fundamentally reshape their approaches to packaging. By 2030, Coca-Cola says it will collect and recycle 100 percent of its packaging; Evian has pledged to produce all of its plastic bottles from 100 percent rPET by 2025; and all of Amcor’s packaging will be recyclable or reusable by 2025.
PRODUCT, SERVICE & DESIGN INNOVATION -
The future of food is one in which circularity and sustainability thrive, where waste is redefined as a valuable resource to be used again and again, supply chain collaboration is second nature and environmental and social impacts are minimal. Helping cultivate this future is the Food and Drink Federation (FDF) and the BBC, which are equipping key industry stakeholders with the necessary tools to achieve their sustainability ambitions and drawing attention to the pioneering retailers, farmers and producers driving the change.
LEADERSHIP -
I had the good fortune recently to sit next to Richard Liroff at a dinner — what I learned made me very thankful. He is retiring after over 45 years of serving the environment, and hearing his story made me think that we all could benefit from remembering where we came from and being grateful for those who made it their mission to save the environment for future generations.
WASTE NOT -
With an estimated 12 million tons of plastic waste entering the world’s oceans each year, consumers and governments are increasingly looking to businesses to eliminate plastic packaging. Fast food giant McDonald’s and major supermarkets in the UK are rising to the challenge, revealing big plans to go plastic-free.