Moving Our Sustainability Community Forward, Faster

SHARE:

Email

Print

LinkedIn

Facebook

Twitter

February 16, 2012

By Jeanne von Zastrow

In the food retail industry, colleagues that wear the “sustainability hat” are some of the most passionate and committed people in our industry. They are also some of the most challenged due to the massive scope of the work, and the fact that their role in sustainability crosses all functions and departments within a company -- from consumer affairs to waste, energy, packaging, sourcing, training, marketing and public affairs.

It’s a monumental task to embed sustainability into the company culture from the C-suite to the front lines at store level, especially when many of them have accountability for success, but not the authority to force changes needed. That’s why good communicators, collaborators and team players are drawn to this role within companies. If you are one of them, you know exactly what I mean.

Over the past few years, the industry has implemented numerous sustainability initiatives and made good progress on issues such as energy, waste, packaging, sustainable seafood, training and corporate reporting. With the challenges of the recession, some would argue that sustainability has been hijacked by more pressing issues. My view is that we’ve had much success on the things we can control, and now we are faced with the hard part -- collaboration within the entire supply chain. We’re challenged to not only find synergies among retailers and suppliers, but also work to achieve consensus and ownership among non-government organizations, government, academia, foundations, communities and trade associations.

Yes, our role is complex, and yes, we should anticipate curve balls, but that should not dissuade us. Rather, the opportunities to work with trading partners and garner alliances should motivate us to push aggressively forward because we are getting closer to the prize -– a vibrant, integrated and sustainable supply chain.

Consumers of the future will hold us accountable for the decisions we make right now. Recognizing this, leading-edge food retailers and their supplier partners are driving sustainability innovation because they care about customers and their businesses’ futures. Through my work at the Food Marketing Institute (FMI), I’ve witnessed an increasing hunger within the food industry for more resources, tools, information and collaboration on sustainability. Together, we are charting new territory.

To jump start the next phase of sustainability collaboration and partnership, FMI has put together an innovative showpiece for our FMI2012 Show, April 30-May 1 in Dallas. For the first time, we will have a “Sustainability Solutions Center” on the trade show floor that will be dedicated to education and networking.

Six “learning pods” will be staffed with trusted industry experts including government, suppliers, non-government organizations (NGOs) and other retailers to help attendees learn more about how they can help move sustainability forward in their respective companies. This is a unique opportunity to team up with colleagues, or grab a supply chain partner, and visit the Solutions Center to engage in dialogue.

Attendees can get key questions answered about issues surrounding waste; energy; sustainable sourcing; sustainable agriculture; sustainable seafood; and emerging tools and resources. The center will be highly interactive and will also feature members of FMI’s Sustainability Executive Committee who will be available to discuss best practices, strategies and emerging trends. As an add on, FMI will host two specific sustainability workshops to support the dialogue -- one on sustainable sourcing and one related to understanding a new audience, the emerging sustainable consumer.

We hope you will join us to build and enrich the sustainability community FMI has been fostering for the past six years, and help our great industry move forward -- faster -- with all aspects of sustainability. We’ll continue working on this issue, and take the next big industry step forward with the joint FMI GMA Sustainability Summit, October 3-5 in Washington, DC.

Jeanne von Zastrow is senior director of sustainability and industry relations for the Food Marketing Institute.

Most Read

Guest Columns

Retail Lessons from 3M: Making Pollution Prevention Pay (Part 2 of 2)

Retailers can incorporate sustainable practices into their businesses by following some of 3M’s core principles.

Source: ESE Solutions

Retail Lessons from 3M: Making Pollution Prevention Pay (Part 1 of 2)

To drive innovation and sustainability, every 3M employee is encouraged to spend 15 percent of their time focused on projects outside of their core responsibilities.

Source: ESE Solutions

Moving Our Sustainability Community Forward, Faster

To jump start the next phase of sustainability collaboration and partnership, FMI has put together an innovative showpiece for the FMI2012 Show with six “learning pods.”

Source: Food Marketing Institute

See All Guest Columns »

Press Releases