Sustainability
Policy Position
Sustainability is about achieving a better quality of life for everyone, now and
for future generations to come. The environment is a central facet of this.
Food companies know that sustainability is integral to their future
profitability, as is the need to increase resilience throughout their supply
chains.
Corporate actions also need to be matched by improvements in the policy and
regulatory frameworks within which the industry operates. This will require a
common
understanding of what we mean by sustainable production and consumption in a
resource-constrained world and how best to encourage and support behaviour
change.
This must be evidence-based and underpinned by agreed methodologies which take
account of the enormous natural variabilities involved and the range of
trade-offs in optimising outputs in relation to inputs. Rigid product standards
and a one
size fits all approach risk being counterproductive in such circumstances.
Innovation and technology will also have a major role to play, though without
mechanisms to refl ect the cost of external impacts in product prices, there
are
likely to issues of market failure to overcome in generating the necessary
investments.
FDF is committed to working constructively in addressing these issues at
national and international level.
Food and Drink Federation members are committed to making a significant
contribution to improving the environment – view our sustainability priorities.
FDF is also committed to measuring progress against each of our ambitions and
publishing annual progress - see our Five-fold Environmental Ambition progress report.
For our FDF policy positions on a variety of sustainability issues:
Last reviewed: 06 Dec 2011