Food Industry Wants A More Sustainable Supply Chain

By Melissa Lind, contributing writer

As both consumers and the food-making industry become more environmentally conscious, a lot of attention is being paid to sustainable means of production. You will be hard pressed to find an industry that is pressed as hard to implement sustainable practices as the food supply chain. The good news is that the industry is ready to take on sustainability initiatives

The Grocery Manufacturers Association (GMA) has identified success stories in the food industry’s efforts to reduce environmental footprints in air quality, water quality, waste, and waste management. The recent report, Environmental Success Stories in the Consumer Packaged Goods Industry outlines how some food and beverage companies are making efforts to improve the food-supply chain and the environment at the same time. Efforts to improve the food industry’s relationship to the environment include both implementing environmentally-friendly processes and increasing sustainability in the product line by:

• Reducing the food industry’s environmental impact/footprint
• Providing new and environmentally-sensitive products
• Preserving natural resources

The food industry is on the front line of the fight to reduce consumption of non-renewable resources and make sure that future generations inherit a clean environment with abundant natural resources.

Some food-industry participants have enacted innovative and creative solutions to improve efficiency, promote sustainability, and preserve the environment in several areas including:

Air and Energy

• Reducing the use of HFC refrigerants in vending machines, drink dispensers, and coolers
• Improving energy efficiency with conservation upgrades to roofing, lighting, and cooling systems
• Obtaining agricultural products from sustainable sources that reduce greenhouse-gas emissions
• Promoting the utilization of products from small farmers around the world
• Redesigning distribution systems to align producers closer to consumers
• Improving distribution networks by partnering with shipping companies to eliminate unused cargo space

Water

• Increasing the use of recycled water
• Reducing water use with water-flow-restriction devices
• Producing consumer products that reduce water use at home
• Reducing water use in production facilities
• Producing consumer products that require fewer resources in manufacturing

Waste

• Reducing total product packaging by encouraging bag use over paperboard products
• Redesigning packaging to minimize excess hard plastic within it
• Eliminating cardboard inserts in packaging
• Encouraging creative recycling
• Selling materials wasted in production to recycling facilities
• Converting to bulk shipping practices
• Reducing the amount of materials required for shipping by reducing package size
• Donating food waste when possible, composting when possible

Small companies are most often known for environmental and sustainability efforts, but the GMA report identifies innovative solutions and efforts in some of the largest-food companies such as:

• Coca-Cola — phasing out hydro fluorocarbons
• General Mills — sustainably sourcing raw, agricultural materials from small farmers
• Ocean Spray — bottle redesign to reduce carbon emissions by plant location and shipping logistics changes
• PepsiCo — working towards net zero water usage and waste by using entirely recycled water and renewable energy at the Frito-Lay plant in Casa Grande, AZ

Implementing green practices is a priority of executives and company managers of nearly every industry. The food industry is understandably under more pressure than most, as food is an essential need of every human. Spurred on by the little guys, it is encouraging to note progress in even the largest members of the food-supply chain.