UN Climate Action Summit: Nutrition industry plays pivotal role in tackling climate emergency

24 Sep 2019 --- Climate change disaster concerns have ensnared the global population as leaders and major industry players align in New York, US, for the UN Climate Action Summit 2019. The nutrition sector has a significant role in averting the rapid onset of global warming, as the need to feed a ballooning population within planetary boundaries is something that can no longer be ignored. And as Generation Z lead the charge demanding tougher action, it’s time for businesses to step up and depart from a “business as usual” approach. NutritionInsight takes a look at some sustainability initiatives from companies in the space.

Limiting global warming to 1.5°C is the most defining sustainability goal of the debate. This is an overarching goal of the Paris Agreement within the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) in 2015, which many global powers have agreed to. 

However, this year in New York, the UN is increasingly calling on the power of the private sector in battling rising temperatures.

Limiting global warming to 1.5°C is the most defining sustainability goal of the debate.“Our only future” campaign from the UN aims to show that a 1.5°C-compliant business model is possible and encourages the transition to a net-zero future by 2050. Some key parties have become signatories of this – a total of 87 companies, including food and ingredients leaders such as Givaudan, Barry Callebaut Group, Nestlé, Firmenich and Novozymes. 

The companies are committed to setting science-based targets through the Science Based Targets initiative (SBTi). This independently assesses corporate emissions reduction targets in line with what climate scientists say is needed to meet the goals of the Paris Agreement.

“Reducing food waste, lowering the carbon footprint of food, beverage and supplement production and environmentally friendly sourcing of ingredients are just a few areas where improvements can be made to the sustainability credentials of the industry. But to succeed, we need to work together and share best practice,” Nelleke Barning, VP Global Communications & External Affairs Nutrition, DSM, tells NutritionInsight.

The public is also driving calls for binding commitments to climate change. According to an EU statement, 93 percent of Europeans believe that climate change is a serious problem and 79 percent see it as a “very serious problem.” Compared with the last Eurobarometer in 2017, climate change has overtaken international terrorism in being perceived as the second most serious problem facing the world today.

A shift in food sources
A healthy planet is inherently intertwined with healthy people. From innovating around plant-based proteins and dietary shifts to enabling more sustainable farming methods, the nutrition industry has a strong role to play.

“As the UN Climate Summit gets underway, the spotlight is shifting to the contribution of meat and animal products in driving global warming, environmental pollution and inefficient resource use,” Richard Parr, Director of The Good Food Institute Europe, tells NutritionInsight.

Royal DSM, also a signatory of the UN campaign, has made bold claims around its sustainability ambitions. The company also recently embarked on a Joint Venture (JV) with Evonik, a company that harnesses the power of microalgae – which has potent potential to relieve pressure on aquaculture and fishing. 

“With the global population due to hit ten billion by 2050, the importance of providing sustainable products with a high nutritional value will only continue to grow,” Barning says. “Also, making transparency key when communicating with customers, and procurement processes are also tightening up when it comes to sustainability, putting the emphasis on the entire supply chain to assess its environmental impact.” 

Announced in July, Veramaris is a 50:50 joint venture between DSM and Evonik. Veramaris produces omega 3 fatty acids, EPA and DHA, from natural marine algae for animal feed such as salmonids and shrimp. Produced through industrial-scale land-based fermentation, algal oil is a high-quality alternative source of EPA & DHA omega 3 fatty acids.  

A DSM spokesperson tells NutritionInsight that the conservation of marine life is “under peril due to overfishing and climate change.” Algae will help to conserve biodiversity in the oceans, enabling the continued sustainable growth of aquaculture within planetary boundaries.

However, the reach of Veramaris’ products go beyond nutraceutical applications. The product relieves pressure on global fisheries allowing them to recover annual production of algal oil. This could help to conserve over 1.2 million metric tons of wild caught fish – equivalent to all the fish caught in the Mediterranean Sea annually.A healthy planet is inherently intertwined with healthy people, and plant-based eating is rising.

It can also enable healthier fish for public consumption. Salmon is a rich source of EPA and DHA, which are vital for brain, eye and heart health. Veramaris offers a high-value algae-based oil that has two to three times the levels of EPA and DHA of fish-oil. This allows salmon farmers to increase the omega 3 content of their products, thus bringing it much closer to the levels of wild salmon.

In the vitamin C space, Barning explains how DSM offers food and beverage and dietary supplement manufacturers a more environmentally friendly option due to upgrades to its Jiangshan plant, supporting those in senior management and purchasing positions to meet sustainability targets.

“With these improvements, DSM’s plant now produces the vitamin C with the lowest carbon footprint in China and achieves 32 percent lower greenhouse gas emissions in comparison to alternative sources in the country. In fact, buying 1,000 tonnes of the vitamin C produced in DSM’s plant in Jiangshan, instead of alternative sources in the country, would save on average 8,000 tonnes of CO2 emissions – equivalent to the entire carbon sequestered by 120,000 tree seedlings grown for 10 years,” she says.

Meanwhile, in January, the EAT-Lancet Commission on Food, Planet and Health launched a diet touted as being “for planetary health.” It hoped to be seen as a diet to feed a growing population of 10 billion people by 2050, without “dramatically transforming the global population’s eating habits, improving food production and reducing food waste.” 

The fare consisted of approximately 35 percent of daily calories derived from whole grains and tubers; protein sources mainly from plants – but including approximately 14g of red meat; and 500g of fruits and vegetables.

Although its launch spurred mixed responses, a core aspect of the diet – a reduction in meat and animal-based foods – is widely seen as a sustainable move.

“Thankfully, the rise of plant-based meat, eggs, dairy and seafood offers the opportunity for us to continue enjoying these products, but in a way that is kinder to the planet, animals and our health. Governments meeting in New York to discuss how to tackle the climate emergency should urgently take action to support and promote plant-based meat,” adds Parr. 

Meanwhile, released in August, the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC)’s Special Report on Climate Change and Land also noted that more plant-based diets could be key in tackling climate change.

It highlighted that, generally, a higher consumption of animal-based foods is associated with a higher estimated environmental impact, whereas increased plant-based food consumption is associated with a lower environmental impact. 

Businesses and consumers are clearly jumping aboard this recommendation, and the business side of the meat-alternatives space is booming. Innova Market Insights data shows that there has been a 45 percent average annual growth of food and beverage launches with a vegan positioning (CAGR, 2013-2017). New launches with a vegan positioning increased their market penetration in Europe from 1.5 percent in 2013, to 7 percent in 2017.

Renewable energy commitmentsResearch uncovering ways in which a nutritious global diet can be reached within planetary boundaries must continue.
Significant corporate social responsibility (CSR) commitments around energy use in the industry can also signify a strong response to climate change pressure.

Chr. Hansen Denmark is completely switching to green power at two brand new solar parks at its Danish site, which will be finished next April. Announced this week, the agreement will create more green energy capacity to the benefit of all of Denmark, Annemarie Meisling, Senior Director of Sustainability, Chr. Hansen, tells NutritionInsight. Also, as the move will transform 40 percent of Chr. Hansen’s total electricity consumption to solar polar, it is a big step toward carbon neutrality.

“We want to contribute positively to the transition to green energy. That is why we have decided to commit to a long-term agreement to buy solar energy from two new parks so that our good bacteria and natural colors have a green footprint, both externally with our customers and on our home turf where some of our largest production sites are located,” says Meisling.

Also, according to CEO Rasmus Lildholdt Kjaer, the new agreement is a good example of how companies can assume joint responsibility for creating new energy from renewable sources to the benefit of the entire country.

Meisling notes that the company’s sustainability efforts also expand into offering natural solutions for agriculture. One example is natural plant protection based on good bacteria that not only protects the plant, but also can increase crop yield.

DSM has also publicized how it closely manages greenhouse gas (GHG) emission reduction; GHG efficiency; and energy efficiency. The company also concluded the building of a new €1 billion Revolving Credit Facility that links the interest rate of the facility to its GHG emission reductions. The company further seeks to enable a low-carbon economy through aspects such as sustainable materials and resins, new farming methods and renewable energy innovations. It also has set a long-term target to reach net-zero emissions before 2050.

Meanwhile, nearly two-thirds of DSM’s entire portfolio is comprised of “Brighter Living Solutions,” which the company says are offerings that are measurably “better than mainstream equivalents in terms of their environmental and/or social impact, while still delivering high performance.”

In further CSR, in July, global food company Danone invested NZ$40 million (US$28 million) in its Nutricia spray drying plant, in a move that brings it closer toward achieving carbon neutrality by 2021. This milestone will be driven primarily by the installation of a NZ$30 million (US$19.5 million) state-of-the-art biomass boiler that will reduce the plant’s CO2 emissions by 20,000 tons per year. The plant, located in South Island, New Zealand, processes raw milk sourced from eighteen local farms into powder that is used as the base for production of leading infant milk formula brands including Aptamil and Karicare.

As the climate debate intensifies, and the world scrambles to offset the damage that may have already been caused, CSR initiatives such as this will become increasingly important. Further research uncovering ways in which a nutritious global diet can be reached within planetary boundaries must also continue.

However, despite some strong commitments from global companies, the outlook in New York continues to be somewhat gloomy and activists ask, is it too little too late?

By Laxmi Haigh