The world’s first practitioner’s guide to the sustainable sourcing of agricultural raw materials
‘Sustainable Sourcing of Agricultural Raw
Materials – a practitioner’s guide’ is being launched in London today.
The publication is the world’s first practitioner’s guide to sustainable
sourcing of agricultural raw materials and is the result of a joint
effort by seven global organizations, including the International Trade
Centre (ITC).
The guide is an open-source innovation tool that
captures, in a single document, best practices and experiences from
global corporations within a strategic, business logic-focused
framework. It empowers managers by providing a user-friendly step-by
step roadmap to building and rolling out sustainable agriculture
sourcing strategies effectively.
Climate change, increased
pressure on natural resources and continued poverty are affecting crops
and water supply globally. This poses a significant risk to the food and
beverage industry, which is the world’s biggest purchaser of
agricultural raw materials. For a secure, safe and increasing supply,
crops must be grown and sourced in a sustainable manner taking full
account of environmental, social and economic considerations. Doing this
effectively calls for changes in managerial mind-sets and specific
knowledge and skillsets.
ITC Executive Director Ms. Patricia
Francis, said: ‘Working towards more environmentally friendly, socially
just and economically sustainable sourcing practices is central to ITC’s
work towards better and more sustainable exports. This guide is a
milestone and will help ITC and our partners achieve these goals.’
Dr.
Ernesto A. Brovelli, President of the SAI Platform and Senior Manager,
Sustainable Agriculture with The Coca-Cola Company, said: ‘This work
reflects the spirit of the SAI Platform; one which aligns farmers and
the food and beverage industry behind a common pursuit. Following a
compelling narrative and clear examples, this publication is breaking
ground in helping the reader navigate the path towards more sustainable
sourcing.’
To help companies convert these risks to business
opportunities, a unique collaboration between seven high-profile
organizations has led to the production of the guide. The guide pools
knowledge and resources, but collaborative outreach will also be an
important part of assuring its impact.
The collaborating
partners are: the Sustainable Agriculture Initiative (SAI) Platform, the
CSL Learning Platform of IMD’s Global Center for Sustainability
Leadership, the International Trade Centre, and the Sustainable Trade
Initiative. BSR, the Sedex Information Exchange and the Sustainable Food
Laboratory also contributed to the development of the guide and are
supporting its outreach.
To download the PDF and notes to editor please click here
The report can be downloaded at www.intracen.org/Sustainable-Sourcing-Guide