To limit global warming to 1.5°C, as per the Paris Agreement, greenhouse gas emissions must halve by 2030 and drop to net zero by 2050. For the food industry, which is linked to around one-quarter of total greenhouse gas emissions, the pressure is on.
How can environmental impacts be reduced across food supply chains and throughout product life cycles to ensure personal and planetary health?
At Climate Smart Food 2023, our three-day digital event spanning 19-21 September, we’ll be asking how the food industry can help drive a transition towards sustainable food sourcing, production, and consumption. Registrations for the free-to-attend digital summit are now open.
Each day the session will run from 2pm CET to 5pm CET and will include interactive presentations, panel discussions, audience Q&As, fireside chats and start-up pitches.
19 September: Climate Smart Sourcing
Ingredients are a major contributor to FMCGs’ carbon footprints, making sourcing practices crucial to meeting carbon reduction deadlines. But cultivation is not the only consideration: global supply chains are increasingly plagued by disruption and have long been linked to human rights violations. How can sustainability be embedded into global supply chains?
On Day 1 of Climate Smart Food, we’ll be asking how best to mitigate against supply chain disruptions linked to droughts, floods or war; what sustainability legislation means for food majors; and whether regenerative agriculture can truly save the day.
Highlights include…
- A ‘fireside chat’ with Francesco Tramontin, VP, Group Public Policy Center, Ferrero, to discuss how the company is preparing for EU sustainability legislation on supply chains
Having formally adopted a law aimed at stamping out deforestation in supply chains and looking to adopt new rules on environmental and human rights violations, the EU is preparing for enforcement. What does due diligence mean for food majors like Ferrero, which is importing cocoa, coconut oil, and hazelnuts for global supply?
- Start-up pitches: from cocoa-free chocolate to bean-free coffee
Some of consumers’ best-loved products (think chocolate and coffee) are linked to environmental and human rights challenges. Climate change is threatening production and smallholder farming makes for complex supply chains. In response, innovators are rethinking production to buildout a new kind of ‘free-from’ category. Join these pioneers as they pitch their innovations, from cocoa-free chocolate to bean-free coffee.
20 September: Climate Smart Production
Feeding growing populations within planetary boundaries means producing more, with less. How can food and beverage makers increase output with fewer natural resources? From making the switch to ‘green’ energy to implementing water saving strategies and rethinking packaging design, we analyse the initiatives decarbonising production.
On Day 2 of Climate Smart Food, we’ll be asking how food majors can decarbonise their direct emissions; where water inefficiencies are most prevalent and how reliance can be reduced; what the future holds for plastic-free packaging; and whether we should increase our focus on the blue economy for sustainable nutrition.
Highlights include…
- A ‘fireside chat’ with Jodie Roussell, Global Public Affairs Lead, Packaging & Sustainability, Nestlé, to discuss the food major’s rethinking of packaging to help achieve its plastic reduction goals.
Food and beverage companies are pledging to ensure all plastic packaging can be easily and safely reused, recycled or composted in the future. How are food majors like Nestlé rethinking packaging to achieve their goals, and which tie-ups are helping to speed up the process? Hear Nestlé unwrap the challenges and opportunities involved in rolling out sustainable packaging at scale.
- Panel discussion: Diving into the blue economy for sustainable nutrition
The ocean covers more than 70% of the surface of the planet, but provides just 2% of overall calorie intake for humans. Is this a missed opportunity? From algae-based protein to reimagined seafood production, we explore new opportunities for oceans and lakes to nourish growing populations, sustainably.
21 September: Climate Smart Consumption
Shoppers often say they want ‘greener’ food and drink, but don’t always act with sustainability front-of-mind. Addressing barriers to climate smart consumption will be key to achieving food system transformation. Consumer demand is also a crucial piece of the food tech puzzle, with pioneers banking on us innovating our way out of the climate crisis. Are Europeans hungry for lab-grown food?
On Day 3 of Climate Smart Food, we’ll be asking what impact brands have on discouraging food waste in the home; how sustainability credentials can best stand out on the shelf; whether European consumers are ready for cultivated meat and precision fermentation dairy; and what the future holds for alternative protein.
Highlights include…
- A ‘fireside chat’ with Hannah Cornick, Head of Sustainability and Social Impact, Danone UK & Ireland to discuss how the company is tackling food waste.
Food waste is bad news for the environment, food security, and the global economy. EU policymakers are taking action, and food and beverage makers may be forced to take heed. Globally food waste is a huge problem, and much of it occurs in the home, so what role can food manufacturers like Danone play in helping to minimise unnecessary waste? Can brand influence pass over the threshold to help shift consumer behaviour?
- Panel discussion: Pioneering the protein transition for the future
Swapping out conventional proteins for climate friendlier alternatives has the potential to lower a brand’s carbon footprint significantly. How are innovators rethinking ingredient production for the masses? Can they truly compete with their predecessors on nutrition, functionality, and accessibility?
Speakers include Romain Chayot, managing director, Standing Ovation, and Gregor Tegl, co-founder and CEO, Arkeon.
Join the conversation live between 19-21 September by registering for free here.