Dive Brief:
- Developing a plan for corporate sustainability is key for food and beverage manufacturers today, but according to a new report from the World Resources Institute (WRI), many do not always take into account an important component of those plans: modern science.
- WRI has worked closely with Mars, Inc. to "analyze the company’s footprint and develop sustainability targets for land, water and climate" which "take into account the latest science on the global carbon budget, water stress and other ecological limits," according to a news release.
- Science-based sustainability targets enable manufacturers to go beyond what they deem to be feasible or competitive and refocuses their efforts not just on their businesses, but on protecting the planet and its resources.
Dive Insight:
Sustainability is an initiative that can be both beneficial to a company's reputation and profitable to a manufacturer's bottom line. But while those mutual benefits are important to a company's sustainability plan, a manufacturer risks credibility if it doesn't go far enough or seems more self-serving than dedicated to the planet.
For example, reducing water usage can benefit both a manufacturer and the environment. But if the manufacturer's plan doesn't take into account things like water sourced from drought-stricken areas like California or areas with limited clean fresh water like Flint, MI, the company can find itself in the hot seat. Consumers or activists might find a company's sustainability plans to be disingenuous rather than honest attempts to improve the local ecosphere.
Depending on science also means utilizing data. This allows manufacturers to better calculate an ROI for their efforts to present to management and support initiatives both internally and to the public. From reducing energy to improving efficiency of water usage, manufacturers still need to prove to investors that internal investments are profitable, and leaning on science offers an avenue to do that.