Where Are Our Customers Focusing Their Sustainability Efforts?
Written by: Lara Moody |
It is one thing to consider our own animal food industry’s sustainability efforts, but it is equally important to consider the needs of our customers. We, being members of the feed and pet food industry, are an upstream source within their supply chain, but we may be well positioned to help them meet their identified goals and targets.
Over the last year, the Institute for Feed Education and Research (IFEEDER) worked in collaboration with the Context Network, Animal Nutrition Association of Canada and over 20 animal feed industry members to explore and assess our customers’ data needs. Specifically, we engaged the following 11 U.S. and Canadian organizations, which represent animal feed and pet food’s customer sectors to understand what metrics they are using for greenhouse gas emissions, water quality, feed and food safety, water quantity and land and marine resource use.
The results of those findings (available in the Animal Food Industry Sustainability Toolkit as resource ‘4g. Data Management Insights for the Animal Food Industry’) provide insights into what metrics the animal sectors are focusing on and where the animal food sector may be able to provide innovation or support.
For example, the National Pork Board and Canadian Roundtable for Sustainable Beef are both focusing on carbon footprints using production system life cycle assessments; the National Pork Board’s goal is to reduce the pork industry’s carbon footprint by 40% by 2030. With feed as a significant part of pork production’s carbon footprint, feed ingredient suppliers and mills have an opportunity to support them, through ration optimization, auditing and documentation (e.g., if carbon credits are involved) or providing data for sourced ingredients.
IFEEDER’s results examine the metrics our customers are using in areas beyond greenhouse gas emissions, and the new resource includes a strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats (SWOT) analysis, based on engagement with the organizations. The SWOT analysis identifies items for consideration when evaluating engagement with stakeholders on the identified metrics.
As part of this work, IFEEDER also compiled findings from interviews with many of the above organizations as well as some corporate stakeholders related to the below data collecting, managing and analyzing needs. The results of the interviews and assessment provide insights into current data systems, challenges to be addressed and the desired future state. This information offers organizations analysis to consider as they enter this space – for example, selecting and managing assumptions, deciding upon secondary and primary data sources or third-party verification.
This resource and more contains insights and perspectives to help inform your organization’s sustainability efforts. Download the Animal Food Industry Sustainability Toolkit and checkout resource ‘4g. Data Management Insights for the Animal Food Industry’ today!