2Sustain

PepsiCo has released its 2009 Corporate Citizenship Report, and it contains dozens of ambitious global goals –47, in all –that will guide the company over the coming decade. These global goals focus on nutrition, environmental sustainability, and workplace practices and include specific, industry-leading commitments, such as reducing sugar, sodium and fat across the company’s food and beverage portfolio while increasing whole grains, fruits and vegetables.

In addition, the report, “Performance with Purpose: Investing in Sustainable Growth,” details PepsiCo’s environmental performance in 2009. For example, last year PepsiCo: (more…)

Tyson Foods, Inc., has released its third sustainability report, titled “Rooted in Tradition. Growing Responsibly.” The report, which is only available online, highlights progress the company has made on a wide range of social, environmental and economic goals in its US operations for fiscal 2008 and 2009.

For instance, Tyson has: (more…)

Leading apparel brands and retailers are collaborating to develop a system that would allow them to benchmark and measure their environmental footprint.

Announced at the Outdoor Retailer trade show in Salt Lake City last week, this new “Eco Index” is essentially a software tool that enables apparel makers to analyze their environmental and labor practices at every step of the product life cycle –from raw material production and manufacturing to shipping and disposal.

Naturally, many of these calculations require input from suppliers, and even though the Eco Index is still in Beta, it’s already having an impact on participating apparel brands and their supplier networks.

For instance, according to an article in the Wall Street Journal: (more…)

Following similar news from other grocery retailers such as Walmart Canada and Metro, Delhaize America has announced last week that all of its supermarkets are now part of a new sustainable seafood program.

The new comprehensive seafood policy –which applies to all supermarkets in the chain, including Hannaford, Sweetbay, the Food Lion family of banners and Bottom Dollar Food — requires suppliers to verify that seafood is coming from sources managed for sustainability. It applies to all seafood in the stores, including fresh, frozen and packaged fish and shellfish. (more…)

General Mills has completed installation of solar panels at its facility in Methuen, Massachusetts, and the company says it now expects solar energy to supply nearly 80 percent of the warehouse’s summertime power needs, and 40 percent of its needs the rest of the year.

This is the first General Mills facility in the US to produce its own electricity using solar energy.

The panels will: (more…)