Unadulterated

We recently spoke with Pure Strategies’ Co-Founders, Tim Greiner, Managing Director and Bob Kerr, Principal, to reflect on the past two decades of their experience and explore what corporate efforts may be needed to drive toward a more sustainable future.

In tandem with the rise in interest in green chemistry, companies are increasingly looking to gain business value from sustainable chemicals management. However, shifting to a program aiming for safer materials demands program changes that many struggle to achieve.

Consumer interest in sustainability is steadily climbing, with 78% of U.S. consumers saying that they feel better when they buy products that are sustainably produced. Is there an opportunity to bring sustainability into private brands to differentiate them and give them a needed sales boost?

CDP found that leaders have greater supply chain engagement contributing to their 67% higher return on equity and 50% lower volatility of earnings. To help companies build and improve their programs and achieve these gains, Pure Strategies is offering a June workshop that will explore best practices in sustainable sourcing and supply chain engagement.

Challenges to optimize the package’s end-of-life may persist that call for collaboration and new solutions with suppliers, competitors, and waste stream partners. TSC may be able to play a role in enabling these approaches and this was explored during the workshop.

Pure Strategies’ latest research reveals growth in corporate spending in sustainability; more than 80 percent of surveyed companies expect a budget increase from 2016 to 2017 with a third anticipating double-digit growth.

Harmful materials present a significant barrier to shifting many products and supply chains to sustainable and circular economy solutions.

Several billion dollars were earned in 2015 from the sustainability efforts of 153 survey respondents. Signaling a new way of defining the source of business value, these notable gains were uncovered in a new Pure Strategies’ study.

Nestlé and Unilever are helping set the standard for sustainable agriculture, according to a survey of over 150 global sustainability heads conducted by Pure Strategies.

A critical step in developing an effective restricted chemicals list is considering what will be used instead, because replacements may be just as much of a concern as the original substance.Many companies include additional materials that are similar to a primary chemical of concern and carefully evaluate alternatives in order to avoid a regrettable substitution. However, companies may determine that a material does not have a safer or effective alternative and should not be replaced yet.

Food production dominates fresh water use and is a primary driving force for soil and biodiversity loss – and food demand is on the rise. The good news is that while faced with such challenges and often considered to be lagging on sustainability, the food and beverage industry stands out as most-improved in a 2015 survey.

Business relevant goals engage teams throughout the organization and make sustainability meaningful for employees from procurement specialists and product developers to sales managers and marketing teams.

Those of us in the field may share a deep-seated belief that sustainability efforts across the product value chain pay clear dividends — but it’s nice to have proof. Nearly all firms state that they have achieved business benefits from their product sustainability programs, according to the second Pure Strategies survey of companies involved in product sustainability.

Few things are more disruptive to a processing facility than losing power – especially if several weeks’ worth of work is lost each time it happens. Facing this risk helped drive Sierra Nevada Brewing Co. to embed sustainability into the way it does business. The result is a demonstration of one of the principles in my book, The 10 Principles of Food Industry Sustainability: ensuring that food and ingredient processing both requires minimal inputs and outputs and strives toward generating resources. Sierra Nevada not only lives up to this standard but also gains business advantages along the way.

In countries such as the U.S., consumers are responsible for about one-third of food waste, more than any other part of the food chain. To combat this, Bon Appétit pioneered removing trays from dining halls resulting in up to 30 percent less consumer waste. They also educated their consumers by weighing and measuring wasted food at dish return stations.

Companies following product sustainability best practices are gaining benefits that include reduced costs, improved employee engagement and productivity, and increased consumer trust and brand enhancement.

Companies should use World Food Day and the examples of these leaders as an opportunity to evaluate how they could strengthen their producer partners while improving the long-term food security of the communities they touch.

Pure Strategies' survey of 100 global product companies, including 34 food and beverage companies, revealed that while the food sector is beginning to take key steps, more strategic work is needed for this industry to catch up to the performers in the market, across industries.