Those of us committed to combatting climate change have no patience for companies that are ‘part of the problem’; but we should embrace anyone that is truly committed to being part of the solution. We’re all on the same team — and we will stand or fall together.
I recently enjoyed the privilege of attending SB’21 San
Diego in person,
which was truly an energizing experience. I want to share an anecdote about
something that happened during a youth
panel
on the last morning which really struck a chord for me. One of the young
panelists turned to the audience and declared, “Everyone should be upset that
Shell Energy is here.”
Like many in the audience, I clapped because I felt that he addressed the
“elephant in the room.” Shell Energy’s core business is fossil fuels — exactly
what everyone in the audience is working so hard to stop using. I, too, had
noted the distinctive, bright-blue-coated Shell representatives at the
conference — in contrast to most attendees, who wore their own clothing. Shell
had a booth on the exhibit floor and actively invited attendees to meet with
them, but they did not take the main stage to share their narrative of why they
were there or what they hoped to accomplish.
After rousing applause, the young panelist continued to hold forth; but I
stopped clapping as I considered the implications of Shell Energy attending a
sustainability conference. “Yes, they are part of the problem, but does that
mean they don’t get to be in the club? Aren’t we at an ‘all hands on deck’ stage
right now with the world?”
Another attendee pointed out that the Shell Energy representatives at the
conference were all from the renewable energy division. “Don’t we want to
encourage a company that is part of the problem to be part of the solution?” I
wasn’t the only one to stop clapping.
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This incident made me reconsider various corporate journeys to
sustainability. Did you know that in 2014, Oxfam
criticized
General Mills and Kellogg as “two of the worst on climate” and called
out the Big Ten food companies — including
Unilever,
Danone,
Nestlé and others to do
more: “These companies should be leading the fight to help stop climate change
from making people hungry.” This list of companies is a “Who’s Who” roster of
the top corporate sustainability leaders today — so, it would appear that
sometimes a positive journey can start with an unattractive legacy. In 2019,
General Mills was the first food giant to commit to advancing regenerative
agriculture
practices
on one million acres of farmland by 2030; Cargill,
PepsiCo
and Nestlé have now all followed suit with even larger commitments. And
I’m proud to share that Unilever is a founding member of the Farm Powered
Strategic
Alliance
— a pre-competitive collaborative movement to boost food-waste reduction and
recycling, and expand renewable energy production across the US.
It’s smart to ask tough questions and to criticize; greenwashing has eroded
public trust. Those of us committed to combatting climate change have no
patience for companies that engage in greenwashing; but we should embrace
anyone, Shell Energy included, that is building a clean energy
business
and/or that is truly committed to being sustainable. Stonyfield Organic has
pioneered sustainable food production since its founding in 1983; Dole
Sunshine
just started its sustainability journey two years ago. It doesn’t matter where
you are today, what matters is that you are committed to the fight. We’re all on
the same team — and we will stand or fall together.
Published Nov 22, 2021 6am EST / 3am PST / 11am GMT / 12pm CET
Farm Powered Strategic Alliance Manager
Vanguard Renewables
Kelley Devaney is the Farm Powered Strategic Alliance (FPSA) Manager for Vanguard Renewables — a US leader in farm-based organics to renewable energy. The FPSA — founded by Unilever, Starbucks, Dairy Farmers of America and Vanguard Renewables — is a pre-competitive collaborative movement to boost food-waste reduction and recycling, and expand renewable energy production across America. The FPSA has been named one of Fast Company’s 2021 World Changing Ideas and now includes Stonyfield Organic and Cabot Creamery.
Kelley has managed P&Ls ranging from startups to $1billion+ and has a background in marketing organic and natural foods to consumers and B2B.