Natural, Organic Food Industry Climate Project Soars Past Goal

by Sustainable Food News 

With less than two weeks away from Climate Day 2018, the anniversary of the launch of the Climate Collaborative, the group said Thursday its first-year goal to sign up 100 companies committed to climate action has been surpassed by 70 percent.

Launched last March at Expo West, the largest U.S. natural foods trade show, the three-year Climate Collaborative is an effort to leverage the strength of the $195 billion natural products industry to reverse climate change.

Companies that sign up to the Collaborative commit to one or more of nine sustainability commitment areas related to the natural products industry: agriculture, energy efficiency, food waste, forests, packaging, policy, renewable energy, short-lived climate pollutants(SLCPs), transportation.

To date, the 170 companies that have made the pledge have made over 650 commitments such as integrating carbon farming into their supply chains, switching to renewable power, reducing the climate impacts of their packaging, removing deforestation from their supply chains, and engaging on climate policy, among others.

Companies recently joining the Collaborative's roster include: Theo Chocolate, KeHE, River Valley Co-op, Tradin Organic, New Hope Network, Sambazon, Justin’s, and Hilary’s Eat Well, among others.

The early adopters of the program include Annie’s, Clif Bar, Dr. Bronner’s, Happy Family, National Co+op Grocers, Nature’s Path, Organic Valley, Guayaki, Stonyfield, and DanoneWave. See a complete list of the companies that have made commitments to date here.

Once a company registers its commitment, the Collaborative, working with NGOs, consultants and solution providers, direct companies - manufacturers, retailers, brokers, distributors, suppliers, etc. - to specific resources and identify actions they can take to fulfill their commitments.

The U.S. food trade groups behind the project are the Sustainable Food Trade Association (SFTA) and OSC2 (One Step Closer to an Organic and Sustainable Community), a coalition of organic and natural food industry executives committed to bringing sustainable companies to the mass market.

2nd Climate Day set for March

The Collaborative said it will co-host the natural and organic food industry's second annual Climate Day on March 7 at Expo West in Anaheim, Calif. Climate Day is a full day of panels, speakers, workshops and information on how companies can take action to reverse climate change.

Former EPA Administrator Gina McCarthy will be headlining the event, and hosting discussions featuring renowned climate scientist Katharine Hayhoe and Ben & Jerry's CEO Jostein Solheim, remarks from General Mills' Carla Vernon, and of course the inaugural National Co+op Grocers Climate Collaborative Awards for natural and organic product companies demonstrating exemplary leadership on climate change.

RSVP for Climate Day here. Register for Expo West here. See a replay of last year's Climate Day.