A Good Food Business Feeds On Sustainability
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The document discusses the growing importance of sustainability in the food industry, emphasizing that it is now a fundamental aspect of business success rather than a mere add-on. It highlights initiatives by companies like DuPont, which actively promote sustainable practices in sourcing ingredients, such as palm oil and seaweed, while also aiming to reduce food waste and carbon emissions. Furthermore, the document aligns these efforts with the UN's Sustainable Development Goals, advocating for a shift towards sustainable business practices in food production.
A Good Food Business Feeds On Sustainability
- 1. AUGUST / SEPTEMBER 2018 FOOD & BEVERAGE ASIA S ustainable initiatives used to be the nice-to-have, feel- good add-on that businesses could take on board when their budgets were on target and pro ts secure – only to cut them away again if short-term nancial results fell short. Today, the food industry in Southeast Asia and the rest of the world has every reason to think otherwise: that sustainability is an integrated and necessary part of business success. In the 2018 GlobeScan Sustainability Leaders Survey, the highest ranking business is a multinational food company. Two more food companies are in the top ten. According to the survey respondents, companies like these are today’s corporate leaders. Their implementation of sustainable principles has long-term bene ts for the world, its people and business pro ts. Industry with Impact When you think about it, the fact that several food companies rank so highly is exactly how it should be. After all, food and the food industry represent 30% of all human-induced greenhouse gasses, and around 30% of the food we produce goes to waste. Whether you look at resource consumption, carbon emissions or human quality of life, the food industry has a major impact – from the producers of consumer goods to the suppliers of ingredients and other raw materials. So, while it is mainly the business-to- consumer companies that stand out in the GlobeScan survey, sustainable development is equally important to ingredient suppliers like DuPont Nutrition & Health. The objective is both to satisfy the demands of food manufacturers and to drive sustainability requirements further along the food value chain. For company employees, an ethical and environmentally friendly philosophy is also a highly motivating force. Live the Sustainable Vision Securing the future of the planet and su cient supplies of safe and healthy food for the growing population are established themes on the global agenda. In Southeast Asia, the ASEAN Vision 2000 has set the agenda for clean and green development since 1997. The vision was reinforced when the UN launched its 17 sustainable development goals (SDGs) in 2015. According to the World Economic Forum, the SDGs present Southeast Asia with an unprecedented opportunity to live the vision. By encouraging companies to shift their focus from individual issues to a more multi-faceted approach, the SDGs provide a template for sustainable business development. a Good Food Business Feeds on Sustainability From nice-to-have to must-have, DuPont shares why sustainable business practices are becoming the food industry’s new best friend. By Dr. Mikkel Thrane, Global Sustainability Lead, and Mr. Niels Erik Larsen, Principal Dairy Application Specialist, DuPont Nutrition & Health As one of the world’s largest seaweed buyers, DuPont actively promotes sustainable harvesting and cultivating practices throughout the industry. (Image credit: DuPont) INGREDIENTS 23
- 2. INGREDIENTS24 FOOD & BEVERAGE ASIA AUGUST / SEPTEMBER 2018 School Milk in China DuPont has worked proactively with sustainable development for several decades. As far back as 1981, the Chinese government called upon Danish dairy expertise to develop a plan that would secure milk supplies to the entire Chinese population. Danish Turnkey Dairies – now part of DuPont – provided the experts who were put in charge of the project. Some of the key ndings were that China’s large pasture areas should increase their milk production. Surplus milk from the peak seasons would then be dried, ready for reconstitution during the seasons when milk production was low. This made it possible to ensure milk supplies to Chinese consumers all year round. DuPont has since assisted the Chinese authorities with the development of stable UHT milk products for the national school milk programme, which provides all pupils with a daily source of important nutrients. Sourcing Sustainable Palm One of the hottest sustainable sourcing topics for more than a decade has been palm oil. The stories are well known about the large palm oil plantations that have grown up at the expense of Malaysian and Indonesian rainforests, wildlife and local people. It was for this reason that many businesses, including DuPont, joined the Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil (RSPO), the multi- stakeholder initiative that has established a certi cation system for sustainably produced palm oil. In Penang, Malaysia, all the palm-based emulsi ers produced at the DuPont plant are today RSPO-certi ed – which means they are either based on segregated sustainable palm oil or covered by RSPO Book & Claim certi cates. Although emulsi ers are only used in small doses in food and beverage recipes, the RSPO certi cation still makes a di erence to the growing number of food companies in the region that have pledged to use palm oil from sustainable sources. Overall, the DuPont sustainable sourcing program covers 90% of the raw materials used in the production of its bio-based ingredients. Seaweed Collaboration Seaweed is another interesting raw material, used for the production of the gelling and thickening agents alginate and carrageenan. For this year’s World Oceans Day, held in June, DuPont launched a new seaweed programme in collaboration with the Anderson Cabot Center for Ocean Life at the New England Aquarium in Boston, USA. The aim is to encourage more sustainable harvesting and cultivating practices throughout the industry. As one of the world’s largest seaweed buyers, DuPont has for decades worked with thousands of seaweed farmers in Southeast Asia, the Western Indian Ocean and Norway Image credit: iStock.com/Rawpixel
- 3. INGREDIENTS AUGUST / SEPTEMBER 2018 FOOD & BEVERAGE ASIA 25 DuPont is a member of the Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil (RSPO). (Image credit: Shutterstock.com/Szefei) on sustainable approaches to planting, growing and harvesting seaweed – an approach now reinforced by the seaweed program. Resource-Saving Solutions Sustainable sourcing of raw materials gives a responsible supply chain the very best start. Sustainable ingredient solutions, on the other hand, are designed to help food manufacturers make the very best use of their resources and to reduce food waste. Protective cultures are a case in point. Used in fresh and white cheese and yoghurt, they are a clean-label way to extend shelf life by up to three times – reducing food waste in the process. Tailored enzyme solutions for bread products have a similar e ect, slowing down staling so consumers are more likely to eat a whole bread loaf instead of just part. Some solutions come packaged in a complete concept, such as the DuPont concept for ambient yoghurt. By eliminating the need for a cold chain, the concept is ideal for manufacturers that want to distribute their products over longer distances and to stores and consumers where refrigerators are not always available. That brings healthy dairy products to areas where they may not already be – by transport that is lower on energy consumption as no cooling is required. A Smaller Carbon Footprint By improving resource utilisation and cutting waste, ingredient solutions enable food manufacturers to avoid several hundred kilos of carbon dioxide equivalents (CO2 e) in their value chain for each kilo of ingredient they use. DuPont has set a goal to avoid annual emissions of 15 million tons of CO2 e in customer value chains by 2020. For all producers in the food supply chain, there are good nancial and environmental reasons for cutting the consumption of energy and water and carbon emissions from their own production plants. Many are already implementing plans for their gradual transition to renewable energy, for recycling more and reducing waste, and for improving the sustainability of packaging and logistics, for example. Everything to Gain Proactive sustainability e orts at DuPont aim to ful l the company’s commitment to the UN SDG agenda. A big part of that is about being a responsible supplier in the entire food chain. In Southeast Asia, as with everywhere, DuPont must satisfy the sustainability requirements of large multinational food companies as well as local manufacturers. The SDGs show that there is everything to gain from operating a sustainable food business. Sustainably sourced, resource- optimising ingredient solutions are a good place to begin.