The pet food industry is an integral part of the global food system and has a large impact on the environment, particularly with regards to protein sourcing. The Pet Sustainability Coalition’s Blueprint provides a comprehensive guide to responsibly sourcing animal proteins, addressing environmental, social, and animal welfare concerns. This article explores the Blueprint’s structure and its role in fostering a sustainable pet food supply chain.
Executive Director
Pet Sustainability Coalition
The pet food industry often flies under the radar when it comes to discussions about sustainability. However, it plays a pivotal role in the global food system, with a significant impact on both the environment and society. The industry’s influence stretches far and wide, from the sources of its ingredients to the sustainability practices it promotes.
The Pet Sustainability Coalition (PSC) has stepped up with an ambitious project: the “Blueprint to Responsibly Sourcing Animal Proteins for the Pet Food Industry.” This initiative aims to guide pet food companies in making more responsible sourcing decisions, ultimately leading to a more sustainable future for the industry and the planet.
UNDERSTANDING THE CHALLENGES
Before diving into the Blueprint, it’s essential to grasp the broader issues at play within the global food system. The drive to produce cheap, abundant food has led to several significant problems:
1. Environmental Impact: The agricultural practices supporting food production contribute to climate change through greenhouse gas emissions. Additionally, biodiversity loss, deforestation, water scarcity, and pollution are critical concerns.
2. Social Impact: The human cost includes poor working conditions, forced and child labor, and insufficient wages for farmers and producers. These social issues are deeply intertwined with the food system.
3. Animal Welfare: Ethical concerns arise from practices that fail to ensure good animal welfare, which is often compromised in the quest for lower costs and higher yields.
INTRODUCING THE PSC BLUEPRINT
The PSC Blueprint is designed to help pet companies address these challenges head-on, regardless of how mature or sustainable their existing sourcing strategy is. It serves as a comprehensive guide in alignment with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), Global Reporting Initiative (GRI), Science-Based Targets (SBTi), and the European Sustainability Reporting Standards (ESRS). The Blueprint is structured into five main parts:
1. Context & Methodology: This section highlights the pet food industry’s potential to drive sustainability within its supply chain. It emphasizes the need for the industry to tackle environmental, social, and animal welfare issues.
2. Potential Material Impacts and Risks: Here, companies can identify the most significant impacts and risks within their supply chains. This identification process is crucial for prioritizing actions that will have the most substantial positive effect.
3. Assessing Impacts and Risks: This part provides a framework for evaluating the significance of identified risks. Such assessments ensure that sustainability efforts are focused and effective.
4. Summary of Potential Material Impacts of Eight Relevant Species: Offering environmental impacts, animal welfare impacts, and considerations for responsible sourcing for farmed beef cattle, deer, broiler chickens, egg-laying hens, lamb, pigs, salmon, and turkey.
5. Taking Corporate Action: Guidance is given on formalizing responsible sourcing strategies. Companies are encouraged to set clear objectives and targets, engage with stakeholders, and measure their progress. Transparency and accountability are emphasized as key components of successful sustainability initiatives.
DEEPER DIVE INTO ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACTS
The environmental impacts of an average ingredient supply chain have been summarized in the following table. The relative significance is the combination of the likelihood of the impact occurring for a given species in a certain region or production system and the severity of the impact, including its scale, scope, and irremediable character.
OVERALL STRATEGIES FOR SUCCESS
To bring the Blueprint to life, pet food companies can adopt several effective strategies:
1. Switch to lower-impact proteins: The pet industry should reduce its reliance on animal-sourced proteins by incorporating alternative proteins like plant-based, insect, or other ingredients with better impacts.
2. Source from certified suppliers: Companies should source animal proteins from producers certified by credible environmental, social, or animal welfare assurance schemes that exceed industry standards.
3. Give preference to extensive systems: Even without a certification, better environmental and animal welfare outcomes can be achieved by prioritizing producers using extensive systems, such as regenerative agriculture or silvopastoral practices.
4. Be an active participant: Engage supply chain partners, the broader food industry and those industries that rely on products from animal agriculture, peer companies, the PSC, and other relevant stakeholders to improve the impacts of conventional intensive production.
A PATH TO A SUSTAINABLE FUTURE
The PSC Blueprint is a comprehensive tool designed to help the pet food industry tackle sustainability challenges. By focusing on responsibly sourcing animal proteins, the industry can significantly influence the global food system towards a more sustainable future.
The commitment to sustainability within the pet food industry is not just a moral imperative but a business one. As consumers increasingly demand ethical and environmentally friendly products, companies that adopt the strategies outlined in the PSC Blueprint will be well-positioned to meet these expectations and lead the way towards a more sustainable world.
The pet food industry’s potential to support and promote sustainable animal protein production is immense. By embracing the PSC Blueprint’s guidance, companies can make meaningful strides toward sustainability, setting a standard for other sectors within the global food system. The journey toward responsible sourcing is a collective effort, and with the right tools and commitment, the pet food industry can lead the way in building a more sustainable world.
By taking these steps, the pet food industry can not only reduce its negative impacts but also enhance its positive contributions to the environment, society, and animal welfare. The PSC Blueprint provides a clear path forward, offering practical solutions and inspiring success stories to guide the way. Together, we can create a more sustainable and ethical future for all.
About Jim Lamancusa
Jim Lamancusa is the Executive Director of the Pet Sustainability Coalition, which has 200+ members and focuses on helping individual companies and the industry overall become more sustainable. Lamancusa joined PSC with over 20 years of experience in sales, marketing and sustainability. He holds an MBA in Management and Marketing and multiple certifications in sustainability. He is an avid outdoorsman and loves mountaineering, climbing, rafting and a good book by the riverside.
