Sustainability that strengthens your brand and your margins, and stands up to scrutiny.
Sustainability that pays off
I built my first sustainability programme about 15 years ago, as part of the Unilever team led by Paul Polman, when I became the first Sustainability Champion for the Baking, Cooking & Spreading category (later Upfield, now Flora Food Group). I have since led sustainability work at IOI Loders Croklaan, Bunge and IFFCO. What I have learned:
- It sets you apart. Sustainability shapes brand identity, and for suppliers it is now part of the strategic ambitions of multinationals and key accounts alike.
- It is a must, not a nice-to-have. It needs a strategy defined together with the business, clear priorities and meaningful KPIs, and a firm guard against greenwashing.
- Nutritional sustainability. More nutritional ‘goodies’, fewer ‘baddies’: reformulating without losing functionality or sensory quality, and without raising the cost of goods.
- Packaging. From ‘take-make-dispose’ to ‘reduce-reuse-recycle’ and circular economy principles.
- Processing. Mild, low-energy processing methods combined with eco-friendly ingredients.
- Waste reduction. Less ingredient loss, and upcycled foods that improve both sustainability credentials and manufacturing costs.
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