Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) strategies have become paramount to steer positive change for the planet, people, communities and other stakeholders. Sustainability has garnered headlines with measures for waste reduction, carbon emissions and higher raw material costs. The global push to boost ESG performance has compelled brands to emphasize recycling and waste management.
Notably, the adoption of the Sustainable Development Goals suggests countries’ commitment to helping halve per capita food waste at the consumer and retail levels and minimize food losses by 2030. Amidst efforts to bolster food accessibility, around 687 million people go hungry each day, according to a report cited by the World Bank. In essence, the organization notes that 1.3 billion tons of food are wasted by consumers and retailers or lost along the supply chain.
Investors, shareholders and other stakeholders are emphasizing the reduction of environmental footprint. Government agencies and organizations are responding to demands for ESG reporting. The emergence and implementation of policies have made a profound difference in the industry. In August 2022, U.S. President Joe Biden inked an Inflation Reduction Act, alluding to the injection of USD 369 billion into energy and climate projects in the next 10 years. Several provisions of the Act aim to minimize greenhouse gas emissions by a billion metric tons by 2030.
Key Companies in Food Waste Management Industry
• Veoli
• Suez
• Republic Services, Inc.
• Covanta Ltd.
• Stericycle, Inc.
Environmental Perspective
Food waste management companies have exhibited bullish traction for ESG as they augment greenhouse gas emission- and food waste- reduction targets. Boosting sustainable practices to motivate vendor partners, stakeholders and communities can solidify the company’s position in the global ecosystem. To illustrate, Albertsons Companies mentioned in its report the commitment to zero food waste going to landfills by 2030.
The American grocery company is vying to propel the reusability, recyclability and compostability of Own Brands packaging by 2025. Furthermore, it is gearing to achieve net zero emissions in its operations by 2040 and 47% carbon reduction from its operation by 2030. Prominently, the company suggested it diverted over 215 million pounds of food from landfill with the help of anaerobic digestion. Industry partners and leaders are expected to be inclined towards creating a sustainable food system, eradicating hunger and undergirding food security.
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Social Perspective
Amidst the prevalence of food insecurity, an emphasis on customers’ and employees’ well-being has prompted industry leaders to bank on the social pillar. In doing so, stakeholders have upped their efforts on diversity, equity and inclusion to foster community engagement, augment the pool of diverse candidates, expand training and promote racial equity and social justice. For instance, in 2021, Kellogg’s included Potential Severe Injury Fatality cases and rolled out EHS Insight Dashboards to offer better trends analysis of EHS data. The company claims to have no fatalities in 2021, with a global total Kellogg total reportable incident rate of 0.42.
The food company has furthered its efforts on diversity globally. For instance, as of December 2022, 25% of the 3,000 employees in Kellogg India are women. Women of Kellogg + (WOK+) has become pivotal in empowering women and advocating gender equity in the workplace. The American food manufacturing company is committed to Human Rights Campaigns Best Place to Work for LGBTQ Equality and Diversity Best Practices Index, among others. Companies are expected to embrace the commitment to diversity, equity and inclusion to deliver upsides to the communities, people and the environment.
Governance Perspective
Food waste management companies are counting on corporate governance, transparency, board diversity, corporate behavior and ethics to stay ahead of the curve. Diversity of experience, skills, backgrounds, qualifications, expertise and age will hold the key to selecting board members. Notably, in Veolia, seven out of ten directors on the Board of Directors of Environment are independent. The BoD is responsible for drafting the agenda of the annual shareholders meeting and appointing the chairman and the financial statements. The company has four committees: Research, Innovation and Sustainable Development Committee, accounts and audit committee, nominations committee and compensation committee.
Brands, such as Veolia, have made a giant stride in gender diversity to bolster their position in ESG performance. Prominently, the company has 33% women on the Executive committee and is gearing up for 25% women among Group executives by 2023. With gender diversity and professional equity gaining ground, companies are poised to create meaningful change through investments in governance.
The competitive landscape alludes to an emphasis on organic and inorganic strategies to tap into the global landscape. To put things in perspective, commitment to environmentally friendly food practices using state-of-the-art technologies may become pronounced in the ensuing period. The use of machine learning and AI could become the next big thing to reduce waste and propel sales through inventory management. Amazon asserts the Amazon Forecast has helped its customers in Greater China minimize product waste by 37%, leading to 22% cost savings across three merchandise categories and 168 stores.
About Astra – ESG Solutions by Grand View Research
Astra is the Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) arm of Grand View Research Inc. – a global market research publishing management consulting firm.
Astra offers comprehensive ESG thematic assessment scores across diverse impact socially responsible investment topics, including both public and private companies along with intuitive dashboards. Our ESG solutions are powered by robust fundamental alternative information. Astra specializes in consulting services that equip corporates and the investment community with the in-depth ESG research and actionable insight they need to support their bottom lines and their values. We have supported our clients across diverse ESG consulting projects advisory services, including climate strategies assessment, ESG benchmarking, stakeholder engagement programs, active ownership, developing ESG investment strategies, ESG data services, build corporate sustainability reports. Astra team includes a pool of industry experts and ESG enthusiasts who possess extensive end-end ESG research and consulting experience at a global level.
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