By: Alexandra Kueller
Two weeks ago, we featured an article that highlighted sustainability reports from two of our clients: Chicken of the Sea and PureCircle. Both companies made great strides towards their 2020 sustainability goals and we wanted to feature their achievements.
This week, we wanted to do more of a comparison between the two companies. With both companies operating in the food industry – Chicken of the Sea with canned fish products and PureCircle with stevia – we thought this would be a great opportunity to see how close the companies (and the reports) compare within the same industry!
Chicken of the Sea
Chicken of the Sea specializes in…
…producing a wide variety of seafood that ranges from frozen to refrigerated to cans, pouches, and cups. While Chicken of the Sea is known for their tuna products, they also produce other seafood items that include oysters, crabmeat, clams, salmon, sardines, shrimp, and more.
Their services relate to sustainability because…
…over-fishing in oceans is becoming a more prominent issue, especially regarding tuna. Chicken of the Sea is doing their best to make sure they are not only responsibly harvesting tuna, but also making sure that their production line is as sustainable as can be.
These were their sustainability goals:
Chicken of the Sea has five main focus areas for the 2020 goals (against 2012 baseline):
- Energy – reduce electricity and natural gas use by 20% each
- Waste – reduce landfill waste by 30%
- Water – reduce water use by 15%
- Health & Safety – maintain/reduce safety incidents
- Supply Chain – audit 90% of seafood procurement spend
In 2013, Chicken of the Sea saw major strides towards a lot of their goals, but there were three focus areas that really stood out: waste, water, and health & safety. Chicken of the Sea saw a 27.8% reduction in waste, a 12.8% reduction in water use, and a 40% lower incident rate than the previous year, staying on par with their goal.
PureCircle
PureCircle specializes in…
…producing and innovating the next generation of stevia to be used as sweeteners for the food and beverage industry that help support a natural and healthy lifestyle, such as low and no-calorie sweeteners.
Their services relate to sustainability because…
…even though this is PureCircle’s first sustainability report, sustainability has been engrained in their businesses practices since the beginning. From their operations to their social commitments, PureCircle has made sure to be socially and environmentally responsible by having sustainability policies in place.
These were their sustainability goals:
On the environmental side, PureCircle has four main 2020 goals (against 2011 baseline):
- Reduce carbon intensity across the product life cycle by 20%
- Reduce energy intensity across the product life cycle by 20%
- Reduce water intensity across the product life cycle by 20%
- Eliminate waste across farming and processing operations with zero waste to landfill
So far, PureCircle is on course to meet all of their goals, with one goal – energy intensity – already exceeding the original goal by reducing intensity by 42%.
On the social side of PureCircle’s sustainability goals, the company hopes to:
- Support 100,000 small-scale farmers with sustainable agriculture policies
- Ensure 100% traceability from gate to individual farm
PureCircle is working and engaging with small-scale farmers on issues such as food security, biodiversity, waste reduction, and fertilizer application to help improve not only the stevia plants, but to enrich the lives of the farmers as well.
Regardless of whether it was the first or third report, what makes both of these sustainability reports strong is the incorporation of a materiality assessment. By completing the assessment, both companies were able to see what is not only what is considered important to the company, but also to their stakeholders, allowing each company to tailor their reports to fit their needs the best.
Curious about how a SSC sustainability report might look like? Check out our previous reports here!