2Sustain

Back in March, I wrote about McDonald’s new Sustainable Land Management Commitment (SLMC). Now, McDonald’s has extended this commitment even more by joining the Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil (RSPO), an organization that promotes the growth and use of sustainable oil palm products through credible global standards and engagement of stakeholders.

As a result of its membership in the RSPO, McDonald’s says that by the end of this year, it will source palm oil only from RSPO member companies. By 2015, only RSPO-certified palm oil will be used in McDonald’s restaurants, pre-cooked chicken and potato products.

This new focus on palm oil comes after an analysis conducted as part of McDonald’s SLMC.  The company, in collaboration with World Wildlife Fund (WWF), identified which of its raw materials have the most potential sustainability impacts. The list includes beef, poultry, coffee, fiber for packaging and palm oil –and so McDonald’s is going to center its attention on those areas. (more…)

PepsiCo’s Frito-Lay North America division announced last week that its Casa Grande, Arizona, manufacturing facility has reached “near net zero.”

The company’s “near net zero” vision was to transform an existing facility so that it would be as far off the grid as possible, running primarily on renewable energy sources and recycled water, while producing nearly zero landfill waste.

In order to achieve this goal, Frito-Lay invested in and implemented a combination of technologies.

For instance, the Casa Grande facility now generates two-thirds of all energy used from renewable sources.  For example, five separate and distinct solar photovoltaic (PV) systems, installed throughout the property, produce nearly 10 million kilowatt-hours (KWHs) of electrical power. (Two solar fields of single axis tracking PV systems with more than 18,000 solar panels were installed on 36 acres of the facility’s agriculture property. The three additional PV fields include a dual axis tracking system, a single axis covered parking lot and 10 sterling engine dual axis tracking systems.)

In addition, the company is working toward: (more…)

Last month, Shaw’s Supermarkets launched an aggressive sustainable seafood program and announced that it is now the first New England-based retailer with fresh case products certified by the Marine Stewardship Council (MSC).

Shaw’s says it developed the new sustainable seafood sourcing program in close collaboration with the MSC, the Gulf of Maine Research Institute (GMRI) and North Coast Seafood – the company’s single seafood supplier.

Initially, the MSC-certified product offerings will include wild sockeye salmon, wild king salmon, wild Coho salmon, wild Alaskan halibut, pacific frozen at sea cod, Canadian frozen at sea flounder, Icelandic fresh haddock and Canadian fresh haddock.

The Gulf of Maine Responsibly Harvested products will include lobster, northern shrimp, cod, haddock, sea scallops and pollock.

Additional fresh seafood items will be added as the program expands over time.

Concerns about global fish stocks have prompted several companies in the food sector to adopt sustainable seafood policies. (See earlier posts about Walmart Canada, Costco, Kroger and others.) (more…)

Over the past few years, companies have been transitioning to sustainable sources of palm oil.

Now, Unilever is helping lead the way for the same sort of responsible sourcing for soy.

Last week, Unilever, a founding member of the Round Table on Responsible Soy (RTRS), bought some of the first available certificates for sustainable soy. This follows the recent introduction of the RTRS certification scheme.

Established in 2006, the RTRS is a multi-stakeholder initiative which aims to facilitate a global dialogue on soy production that is economically viable, socially equitable and environmentally sound. RTRS members are working to ensure that: (more…)

PepsiCo now offers five options of eco-friendly, recyclable and compostable cups to its Foodservice customers in the US.

These new cup options include:

• fully recyclable clear plastic cups (one alternative is a rPET cup containing 20 percent post-consumer recycled content)

• compostable paper cups and wax cups made with plant-based materials sourced from sustainably managed forests

According to PepsiCo, the fountain cup portfolio mix empowers Foodservice customers –such as restaurants, stadiums and theme parks, and colleges and universities –to select the right green cup options based on locally available recycling and composting disposal facilities.

PepsiCo also sees the eco-friendly cups as a way to connect with consumers –particularly college and university students –who are increasingly interested in sustainable packaging options.

“The new cups are an advancement in technology, but also in the way we communicate,” said Margery Schelling, CMO PepsiCo Foodservice. “Customers increasingly are asking for environmental products that match changing needs, expectations and lifestyles. We want consumers to enjoy their favorite fountain beverages and feel good about the environmental impact of their purchases.”

In a press release, PepsiCo points out that the roll out of eco-friendly cups is aligned with the company’s global environmental goals and commitments, which include initiatives to reduce packaging waste, use rPET and renewable sources in packaging and increase the national beverage container recycling rate. Specific examples of PepsiCo innovations with respect to beverage packaging include: (more…)