How Green is Your Supply Chain?

Grocery Manufacturers Association Highlights Environmental Leadership

When it comes to making supply chains more sustainable, few sectors are under as much pressure as the food and beverage industry. The good news: the industry’s appetite for environmental sustainability is as big as the challenges on its plate. Today, supply chain sustainability is now an essential part of business planning and success.

So, what exactly are food and beverage industry leaders doing to shrink their environmental footprints? In

September, the Grocery Manufacturers Association (GMA) released a report highlighting the industry progress and achievements by food, beverage and consumer packaged goods companies (CPG) as they work to reduce their environmental footprints. Titled “Environmental Success Stories in the Consumer Packaged Goods Industry,” the report was compiled by PricewaterhouseCoopers under GMA’s direction and identifies industry success stories in the categories of air, waste and water.

Based in Washington, D.C., GMA represents the world’s leading food, beverage and CPG companies. When it comes to greening the supply chain, the association’s efforts seek to:

• Reduce the industry’s environmental footprint,
• Provide consumers with innovative, environmentally friendly products
• Preserve natural resources for future generations

How Food & Beverage Movers & Shakers Are Making a Difference

The report showcases some of the actions companies are taking to advance sustainability in their operations as well as the innovation and creativity that has made this progress possible. Some of the initiatives are truly innovative. Let’s take a look.

Air quality and energy efficiency improvements

• Improving efficiency with eco-efficient lighting, reflective roofing, and more energy-efficient cooling and ventilation systems
• Sourcing agricultural raw ingredients sustainably to reduce energy use, greenhouse gas emissions, and improve water use/quality
• Promoting sustainable agriculture with smallholder farmers around the world
• Redesigning bottling distribution networks to better align with demand and partnering with shippers to claim unused cargo space in returning boxcars
• Phasing out HFC refrigerants in beverage dispensers, vending machines, and coolers

Water conservation

• Running beverage plants using recycled water and renewable energy
• Reducing water use without making major capital investments in manufacturing plants
• Better managing reservoirs and installing water flow restricting devices
• Producing products that help consumers reduce home water use
• Using less water to clean conveyor belts in plants
• Researching how consumers use products to encourage conservation
• Introducing new products that use fewer resources and help customers reduce impacts

Waste reduction

• Reducing packaging waste/paperboard use by selling cereal in bags instead of boxes
• Giving waste a second life through creative recycling
• Selling waste materials and scrap metal to third-party recyclers
• Encouraging consumers to refill trigger bottles rather than discarding them
• Redesigning packages to minimize the use of plastic
• Shrinking packaging by reducing the amount of corrugated cardboard used for shipping
• Converting to bulk product shipping practices
• Innovating to create value for themselves and their communities – e.g. packaging –
• Donating food waste instead of disposing of it
• Optimizing packages to use more sustainable materials and remove cardboard inserts

What initiatives are you taking to save money and reduce your environmental impact?

To download a copy of Environmental Success Stories in the Consumer Packaged Goods Industry 2014, click the button below.