The bigger picture
The environmental footprint of the manufacturing process
represents on average less than 10% of the total end to end
impact of food and drink production and consumption.
That is why we concluded last year that we needed to expand the
scope of our Ambition and set ourselves new aims which
would extend our influence across the food chain and lead by
example in helping to achieve sustainable growth.
We also set
ourselves some specific deliverables for 2011 in relation to:
- Water use and management in the supply chain
- Exploring the importance for food manufacturing of protecting and enhancing
biodiversity
- Looking at how we might develop guiding principles for the sustainable sourcing
of commodities, taking wheat as a first case study
New aims agreed in 2010
- Our role as food and drink manufacturers is to supply consumers with safe,
nutritious, appetising and affordable food and to help them make sustainable
choices
which will secure these benefits for the future.
- We will lead by example, building on the success of FDF's Five-fold
Environmental Ambition to extend our influence across the supply chain as part
of a longer
term
food strategy.
- We will work with our suppliers, customers, employees, policy makers and other
stakeholders to develop the necessary information, skills and business
environment
to deliver continuous improvement in the use of energy, water and other natural
resources to help address the pressing global issues of climate change and loss
of biodiversity.
- We will encourage the development of life-cycle thinking throughout the supply
chain and try to remove systemic barriers to improving resource efficiency,
from
the sourcing of raw materials to the disposal of postconsumer waste.
- We will promote innovation and technology to reduce waste and extract maximum
value from the resources we use and to help consumers get the most from our
products.
Progress in 2011 against our new aims
Water use and management in the supply chain – 'Every Last Drop'
“I warmly welcome this initiative from the members of the
FDF Water Working Group to develop this simple guide
as a first step to help food companies and individuals use
water wisely along the supply chain. I would encourage all
businesses and the people who work in the sector to take
it on board.”
Rt Hon Lord Smith of Finsbury, Chairman,
Environment Agency
Water is arguably the planet's most precious and vital natural resource. The
twin pressures of an ever increasing global population and the effects of
climate
change mean that all of
us, whether at home or in the work place, share a responsibility to use it as
efficiently as possible and with due regard to the needs of others. Only
through
such careful management will
we be able to ensure that future demand is met and that the water environment
and ecology it supports is safeguarded.
These issues are particularly important for the long term sustainability of the
food and drink industry because of its reliance on a supply of freshwater for
both its raw material
and processing needs.
As part of our wider work to improve environmental sustainability across the
supply chain, FDF's Water Working Group has developed a simple guide, entitled
'Every Last
Drop', which provides a series of golden rules for food and drink manufacturing
businesses – tailored for those with boardroom, supply chain and operational
roles – on what can
be done to save water and manage its use effectively along the supply chain,
including as individuals at home.
Alongside this guide we have also launched a
We intend that the launch of the guide will mark the start of a FDF campaign
leading up to World Water Day in March 2012. The aim of the campaign will be to
raise awareness
within the industry, particularly among smaller and mediumsized companies. It
will include provision of downloadable resources, workshops and webinars in
support of the guide's
key messages.
Sustainable sourcing of commodities – case study on wheat
“Last year the FDF made an important commitment to extend its influence across
the supply chain to help reduce the wider sustainability impacts of the food
and
drink sector, and help secure sustainable value chains, where systemic barriers
to key issues such as resource
efficiency have been removed. Forum for the Future has been delighted to help
the FDF make progress towards achieving this ambition. Through organising a
collaborative workshop with representatives from across the food and drink
sector, we
have identified action
needed to deliver a sustainable value chain for the key commodity of wheat. We
look forward to continuing to work with the FDF to help make these actions a
reality.”
Dr Sally Uren, Deputy Chief Executive, Forum for the Future
Increasing food production sustainably presents a number of different challenges
in respect of environmental, economic and social aspects at different points in
the value chain. Only by
taking an integrated view of the various risks and impacts will it be possible
to deliver the kind of step change in performance which will be required to
improve efficiency, increase resilience
and reduce environmental impacts while also meeting higher demand.
A key strength of FDF's Five-fold Environmental Ambition has been its focus on
practical solutions in a business context. With that in mind, we decided that
the
best way to approach
the issue of how best to source the commodities we need was to take a specific
example and see what wider lessons might be drawn.
We were also conscious of the need for broader expertise in considering these
issues and so sought the help of Forum for the Future to bring together a range
of
interested
parties in a joint workshop held in London in October to improve understanding
of current and future sustainability issues in the wheat value chain and
explore
ways of addressing these.
The major part of the workshop involved looking at trends and developments over
the last 30 years and the factors that were thought to be significant for the
future.
A range of issues were identified, including: price volatility and rising input
costs,
increasing scarcity of key resources (in particular land, water and fossil
fuels), climate change effects and the degradation of wider ecosystems. It then
explored potential actions and opportunities in terms of better awareness and
training in risk management, the role of science and technology and the need
for more
investment in applied research and improved information sharing and knowledge
transfer to support better decision making.<.p>
The next stage of this work will be to look at how we might develop a set of
principles as the basis for issuing best practice guidance to member companies,
also taking account of parallel
work on life-cycle assessment and criteria for environmental footprinting in
the
EU Sustainable Consumption and Production Roundtable and WRAP's Product
Research
Forum.
The particular importance of biodiversity
“Biodiversity is fundamental to the work of WWF. So, we were delighted to have
the opportunity to share our expertise with food industry stakeholders at FDF's
workshop in July, and help them understand the importance of measuring and
managing ecosystem risks and benefits – and the impact this can have on supply
chain
resilience and the financial bottom
line. We look forward to continuing to work closely with FDF as they develop
their thinking on sustainable sourcing as part of their wider efforts to
protect
the natural capital and healthy ecosystems on which future food production
depends.”
Anthony Kleanthous, Senior Sustainability Adviser (Food),
World Wildlife Fund – UK
Food production depends on healthy ecosystems to provide
essential natural resources, including soil and water. Key to these
are the myriad animals, plants, insects and micro-organisms whose
interactions help to purify water, recycle nutrients and maintain soil
structure and fertility.
As part of our work to look at environmental
impacts across the supply chain, FDF held a joint biodiversity and
ecosystems workshop with World Wildlife Fund (WWF) in July to
improve members' understanding of the issues involved and to
look at ways in which they might be addressed.
The workshop was
attended by a cross section of FDF members along with a number
of key stakeholder groups including NGOs and Government.
Feedback from the workshop confirmed it was very successful
in raising awareness and demonstrating why biodiversity is so
important to future food security.
However, it also illustrated
a major current challenge that market mechanisms largely fail
to capture the costs of biodiversity loss or to reward initiatives
aimed at protection and enhancement. There are also examples
where habitat destruction can lead to short term commercial
gain, compounding the difficulties of trying to buy from certifiably
sustainable sources.
The next stage for FDF is to articulate more clearly the business
case for action, particularly in respect of the resilience of supply
chains, and the instruments available for measuring and
managing such risks.
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