Worldwide, there are hundreds of such schemes and initiatives promoting the sustainability of food. That’s good news for increased sustainability within the food industry. The complexity involved is, however, a potential pitfall. More than a billion people suffer from extreme hunger. Fortunately, more and more people are aware of this and will not stand for it. The movement towards sustainability has the wind in its sails.
The number of different sustainability initiatives is still increasing. Besides well-known certification labels such as Fair Trade Original and Rainforest Alliance, there are also what are known as ‘multi-stakeholder initiatives’, in which companies and NGOs meet to consider criteria for making an entire sector more sustainable.
The Roundtable for Sustainable Palm Oil is a good example of such an initiative. A similar development can be seen around specific themes, for which codes are being developed such as the SA 8000, which concerns workers’ rights.
And then there are companies that choose to start their own sustainability initiatives. The coffee giant Starbucks, for instance, started the Starbucks Shared Planet programme. All of these sustainability labels, codes, programmes, certification schemes and roundtables contribute their share to increased sustainability of the food industry. This is beneficial for our climate and for the billions that work in agriculture and for the poorer countries, as fairer trade allows them to develop in a sustainable way.
The multitude of initiatives can also, however, be confusing. Consumers complain that they cannot see the wood for the trees. In 2005, Consumers International prepared a report comparing just four different ethical coffee brands in detail, showing the complexity of the situation. There’s an increasing sense that nobody knows which logo means what anymore, with the consequence that some concerned consumers may throw in the towel altogether.
Obviously, it would be terrible if these good intentions end up overshooting the mark in such a way. The Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) is working on a report on the environmental labelling situation, including ways to simplify labelling or create an ‘omni label’ that spans a range of issues.
In Fairfood International’s lobbying conversations with food and beverage companies, the latter often point out that entrepreneurs also have difficulties finding their way among the crowd of sustainability initiatives. They want to be told clearly what’s expected of them, and what they can do to fulfil these expectations. This is why Fairfood acts as an intermediary between the food and beverage industry and the different sustainability solutions on offer. In some cases, pointing the way to a certification scheme or code of conduct – in others, giving examples of corporate initiatives that work out well.
In this way, companies that want to make an effort in their corporate social responsibility will find the right partners and so achieve tangible results quickly.
The responsibility for undertaking sustainability initiatives lies with the companies themselves. Fortunately, more and more companies are willing to contribute to a structural solution for extreme hunger and poverty in this way.
Emma Herman is spokesperson for Fairfood International and sits on the supervisory board of Humanity in Action.
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