Find out the effect conservation tillage has had on U.S. soybean farming.
Archive for the ‘Sustainability’ Category
Conservation Tillage
Friday, August 12th, 2011New Study on Sustainability in the Food Industry
Friday, August 5th, 2011Bank Sarasin released a new study on sustainability in the food industry, “Food and sustainability: Will the seed bear fruit?” The study highlights three central sustainability themes that affect food producers:
- Health and nutrition
- Sourcing more raw materials from sustainable agriculture
- Committing to fair work conditions1
Despite good results from some of the world’s biggest food producers (Danone, Unilever , Heinz, etc.), according to the study most companies still have much more they can accomplish on their path towards sustainability. One key challenge that food companies face is acquiring more raw materials from sustainable sources.2
Many food companies have also realized that they need to invest in the mainstay of their products: agriculture. For this reason, companies that already obtain large volumes of their raw materials from sustainable sources and also have a clear strategy in place for improving environmental and social standards score well on Bank Sarasin’s matrix of sustainability criteria.3
How would your company score on the sustainability matrix? What steps are you taking toward sustainable sourcing?
1,2http://www.sarasin.ch/internet/iech/en/index_iech/news_iech?reference=116147&checkSum=5A782A47BEAF57C3BF91BF9D4854F0F1
3Source: Bank Sarasin, December 2010
Consumers and Sustainability
Friday, July 29th, 2011The sustainability of a product is being considered more and more in consumer buying decisions. Find out how prominent this concern is in food purchases.
Please go to Consumers and Sustainability to view the quizConservation Tillage Quiz
Tuesday, July 19th, 2011Sustainable farming practices usually result in a win/win for farmers, food manufacturers and consumers. See if you can guess the effect of conservation tillage practices on herbicide runoff amounts.
Please go to Conservation Tillage Quiz to view the quizSustainable Packaging Takes a Front Seat
Friday, July 15th, 2011A new global survey from DuPont of more than 500 packaging professionals shows that the need to package food, consumer and industrial products in a more sustainable and affordable way dominates the worldwide packaging industry.1
The results indicate that finding sustainable, cost-effective solutions to reduce packaging’s environmental footprint is the most important goal across the globe, especially in the food and beverage industries.1 There is not a one-size-fits-all strategy that works for every company. However, DuPont’s survey shows that there are multiple approaches companies can take to find sustainable solutions.
Of all survey respondents, 65 percent said their sustainable packaging efforts were focused on design for recyclability or use of recycled content; 57 percent are focused on weight reduction; 41 percent are focused on renewable or bio-based materials; and 25 percent are focused on compostable materials.1
As you can see, there are many pathways available to improve packaging sustainability. Choosing the right one for your company requires collaboration across your value chain. What approach does your company take to sustainable packaging?
