Sustainability

According to a 2019 report from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, the food system is responsible for about 21% to 37% of total greenhouse gas emissions — resulting from all parts of the production process from agriculture and land use to packaging, storage and transportation. Betting on consumers’ increased desire for transparency in the items they buy, some brands and marketplaces are working to help educate shoppers about the carbon impact of their purchases, providing clarity to a previously opaque part of the industry.

In many ways, the onset of the pandemic threatened to turn back the clock on any progress made in establishing more eco-friendly grocery shopping systems, as it brought on renewed interest in single-use plastics, bans on reusable bags and refillable cups and a decline in plastic recycling rates. But some new grocery startups and stores are gaining momentum as they fight this resurgence in disposability, updating the milkman model and adapting to changing consumer behaviors.

In the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic, many high-profile sustainability initiatives have taken a back seat to single-use packaging, with many grocery stores banning reusable bags and Starbucks no longer accepting refillable mugs. Despite this, Loop is going all in on reusable packaging, launching its waste-free CPG delivery platform nationwide through retailers Walgreens and Kroger with heavyweight brand partners including PepsiCo, Nestlé and Unilever.

Although many consumers began recognizing sustainability as a personal responsibility, they are increasingly considering the “greater good” and turning to brands to take action, according to research firm The Hartman Group’s 2019 report, “Sustainability: Beyond Business As Usual.”

Under the new policy, which will be fully enforced by January 2018, all canned tuna sold at Whole Foods must come from fisheries using only pole-and-line, troll, or handline catch methods, all of which take fish one by one. Fisheries must also attain sustainability certification from the Marine Stewardship Council or be rated green or yellow by the Monterey Bay Aquarium and The Safina Center. Suppliers must also use a traceability software, Trace Register, which tracks each lot of tuna at every point from vessel to can.

Initially, it seemed like a perfect romance: the venture-backed producer of a protein-heavy flour made from renewable microscopic plants and an up-and-coming “meal disruptor” food and beverage brand meeting to create what could potentially be a monumentally hip “step toward sustainable food production.” But the breakup is real: the past month has found food and beverage producer/replacer Soylent and ingredient supplier TerraVia, engaged in finger-pointing over product problems that plagued Soylent and some of its consumers late last year.

Patagonia, long seen as a leader in outdoor gear and apparel, has decided to step up the pace of its move out of the changing room and into the kitchen with the expansion of their Patagonia Provisions line. With 29 SKUs, including soups, bars, jerky, cereal and more, the line is on its way to become a key flanker to Patagonia’s core business.