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Q&A: Can Pet food companies' sustainability efforts benefit both the bottom line and the future? What's Your Take? "Our remedies are selling the best that they've ever sold. There are many ways that sustainability can be a business case, not just the right thing to do." Says Stephanie Volo, Chief Impact Officer at Earth Animal. "There are so many packages that are oversized. Also, by going from a rigid container, a jug, into a flexible package, you've dramatically reduced your carbon footprint and saved money." Says Brian Steinwagner, Executive Vice President Business Development at Morris Packaging "There will be this transition period, especially in the short term, when we may have to shoulder some additional costs to help with this transition. As that gains steam, things should be more manageable from a cost point of view." Says Adam Craig, Product Development at Hill's Pet Nutrition We're a very large company, so some low-hanging fruit in that area is something like transportation, recognizing where all the locations are, and trying to group shipments together because that saves in a bigger way when you're very large. Says Elizabeth Maier Director, Growth and Innovation at Wilbur-Ellis Nutrition. Industry experts discussed how sustainability can prove profitable during the Ask the Pet Food Pro panel discussion: Making Sustainable Pet Food at 🐾Petfood Forum Events 2024 in Kansas City, Missouri. Jim Lamancusa, executive director of the Pet Sustainability Coalition, hosted the discussion. Thank you Tim Wall, senior reporter, WATT Global Media, for putting together this thought-provoking piece. https://lnkd.in/dJ4ZHfX2 Germaine Chua Mars Petcare Michael B. Sumit Singh Geoffroy Lefebvre Pet Impact Pawpass Spot & Tango FitBark PETKIT Blue Buffalo Pet Supermarket PetSmart Petco Kentaro Kawamori Global Optimism Earth.Org Simon Bernie Georg Kell Kate Brandt Melanie Nakagawa Pilar Cruz Paulette Frank Rachel Mattes Greenberg Diana Sibanda #sustainableBusiness #Ecofriendlycommerce #PetIndustry #AskTheExperts #PetBusiness

At Živalnik.si - Slovenian Pets Marketplace, we’re excited to see the growing trend of sustainability in the pet industry. More and more companies and consumers are choosing eco-friendly products, and we’re proud to support this green movement! 🌱 ♻️ Why Go Green ? The world is increasingly moving towards sustainability as both producers and consumers recognize the importance of protecting our planet. Eco-friendly products are in demand because they reduce waste, conserve resources, and promote a healthier environment. At Živalnik, we welcome and support this direction wholeheartedly. --- ♻️ Here are some of the key sustainability trends in the pet industry for 2024 and beyond: 1. Sustainable packaging 📦 Companies are developing more recyclable, biodegradable, and eco-friendly packaging solutions. 2. Eco-friendly products 🌿 Consumers are seeking items made from recycled, renewable, or biodegradable materials, such as biodegradable cat litter, insect-based pet food, and eco-friendly toys and accessories. 3. Traceability and transparency 🔍 Pet owners want to know where their pet's food and products come from. Companies are providing more information on ingredient sourcing and manufacturing processes with certifications like USDA Organic and Non-GMO Project Verified. 4. Sustainability certifications ✅ Certifications like USDA Organic, Non-GMO Project Verified, Cradle to Cradle, Sustainable Forestry Initiative (SFI), and Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) help pet owners identify eco-friendly products. 5. Ethical sourcing 🌾 Companies are focusing on locally-sourced, sustainable proteins and avoiding controversial ingredients like palm oil. Pet supplies are also emphasizing ethical sourcing of materials like wood, cotton, and wool. 6. Corporate social responsibility 🏢 Many pet companies are making sustainability a core part of their business model and supporting animal welfare causes, such as donating profits to animal shelters or using recycled materials in packaging. 7. Plant-based pet food 🌱 Plant-based and vegan pet food options are growing as pet owners look for sustainable protein sources. This market is expected to expand as more research supports the nutritional adequacy of meat-free diets for pets. --- --- ♻️ Interesting Fact: Sustainability is a major priority for the pet industry in 2024 and beyond. Pet owners are demanding more eco-friendly products and practices, and companies are responding with innovative solutions across all categories. 🌍 #Sustainability #EcoFriendly #GreenInitiatives #PetsMarketplace #Ecommerce #TechInnovation #ComingSoon #PetCare #GoGreen

The sustainability of byproducts as pet food ingredients often gets overlooked. At Integrated Proteins, we look at this as an opportunity to do our part to make the world a better place. The article below does a great job of putting a spotlight on the positive impacts of byproduct rendering. #petfoodindustry #petbusiness #sustainability #makingadifference https://lnkd.in/g8uQyr_Z

Better Bite is announcing our latest food tech investments: better fat 🧈, better whole-cut meat 🥩 and better pet food 🐶 ---> More: Food production is a major contributor to greenhouse gas emissions. To get to "net zero", we need new, more sustainable ways of making food. But these new products must also be tasty - otherwise, mainstream consumers won't get on board. The startups we are announcing today are pioneering new solutions to improve the taste and texture of meat and dairy alternatives. We've also invested in Asia's first cultivated meat startup focused on pet food. The rapidly growing number of dogs and cats across Asia comes with the increased environmental impact of the food they consume. Here are the three startups: 🧈 Fattastic Technologies (Singapore) is engineering plant-based fats to enhance the sensory and functional attributes of plant-based meat and dairy. Its exclusive oil structuring technology transforms plant-based oils into solid states to resemble animal fats. Founder Satnam Singh is a former researcher at A*STAR agency in Singapore. 🥩 Pivot Eat (Australia) is developing a novel process to improve the structure and scalability of whole-cut meat alternatives. Founder Ann Limley is a food science PhD with over 20 years of R&D experience in the food industry in Singapore, Europe and Australia. 🐶 Everything But (South Korea) is Asia’s first cultivated meat startup focused on pet food. The company was founded by veterinarians and scientists with prior startup experience, including Yoonchan Hwang. All are part of our early-stage initiative First Bite - we invest $50K to $150K in new and aspiring food tech founders from APAC. We just reopened First Bite for new applications here: https://lnkd.in/d3j6xif7 More via Green Queen Media: https://lnkd.in/gSgr9bvH Satnam, Ann, Yoonchan - great to have you all onboard, thank you for your trust 🙏

Bene Meat Technologies, a Czech startup, has achieved a significant milestone in the European Union by receiving the first-ever EU certification to produce and sell cultivated meat for pet food. This development marks a revolutionary step in the European food landscape, extending beyond pet food. It's the first instance of regulatory approval for cultivated meat in Europe, setting a precedent for future approvals in human food sectors. As we witness this shift, it raises a crucial question: Are we, as consumers, ready to adapt our food behaviors to embrace such innovative food sources? Keep in mind it's not only a technological advancement but also a behavioral shift towards more sustainable consumption patterns. => https://lnkd.in/eJWAUHAG #cultivatedmeat #petfood #innovativefood #alternativeprotein

So, question! Would you feed your dog or cat insect food? We’re all so conscious of eating more planet friendly - but what about our pets? There’s 13 million dogs and 12 million dogs in the UK alone,  practically every one of them having meat of some kind, twice every day. But the environmental impact of that mostly flies under the radar, doesn’t it?! Here’s the top line stats: > Globally about 20% of the world’s meat and fish are consumed by our pets.  > If all the world’s dogs and cats went vegan it would bring emissions savings equal to those of Australia Wow. But given we absolutely cannot live without our awesome furry friends, what do we do? Well it looks like  insect-based pet foods are  beginning to go mainstream - in fact I saw some in the pet section of my local garden centre the other day!! But how does everyone feel about it? My instant questions when I first started reading about insect foods a while ago were…what about nutrition? And taste?! Will our pets even eat it? Well…turns out... 💪 > Nutritionally the grubs used in brands like Yora for eg. have twice the protein gram for gram, than that of beef. They have all the essential amino acids you’d find in bigger animals alongside healthy fats and antioxidants. They are officially a superfood!  🐕 >They are also one of the most digestible foods on the planet, as well as hypo-allergenic, sorting out delicate tummies and itchy skin and ushering in glossy coats and perfect poop. 🌳 > Insect protein is one of the most sustainable foods on the planet, needing much less land and water than farmed meat and generateing 97% less greenhouse gasses . ⬛ > Feeding Yora (or similar) over an average dog’s lifetime saves around 9.5 tonnes of CO2.  💖 > Last but for me, absolutely not least, pet food comes from factory farms so we’re helping put an end to animal suffering too. To the big question of TASTE…. Apparently Yora wins with their taste testers time and time again! Do we have a new 9 of 10 cats contender for the Whiskas throne, in the house. I lost my beloved dog a  couple of years ago. And I haven’t got another one yet. But when I do, for me, it’s going to be insects all the way.  Even though I’m vegan (for the animals), I had never thought about the meat in dog food (!!!), maybe because it was pellets. There's no going back. Have you tried it? Love to know what your pet thinks! #petfood #climatefriendlydiets #climatechange #catsanddogs _______________________________________ 🔔 I’m co-founder of Couch to Carbon Zero. We make smart climate action easy for busy people, working with organisations to engage and inspire their workforce and to make it FUN. If you like the sound of that, follow me for more or get in touch!

Last month during the American Feed Industry Association (AFIA)'s Pet Food Conference, Frank Mitloehner of the UC Davis CLEAR Center took the stage to unearth the industry's true environmental impact. As consumers' concerns for #sustainability rise, many in the #petfoodindustry have turned toward eco-friendly packaging, alternative proteins and sustainable operations to reduce their impact on the environment. Though these efforts are great, Mitloehner stressed the need for the industry to support more interventions at the agricultural level. Continue reading for more on this topic: https://ow.ly/i2h850QGqpL #petfood #agriculture

Do currently available Regenerative Agriculture Certification Schemes address food safety? As far as I can tell after a quick search and review, it seems that none of them do, at least directly, not even pre-farm gate. While recognizing that this is a dynamic field, arguably rapidly gaining momentum, especially as concern over climate change is rising, here are a few tentative observations First, as far as I know there is no official designation or recognition by government or industry of any particular regen ag standards scheme. Second, while some schemes seem to have more adherents than others, and seem to be nearing endorsement by influential sets of market-makers, practitioners, and/or proponents, the forces of competition as well as differences of philosophy, scope, and approach keep the space in flux. Third, while food safety is one of the legitimate concerns for agriculture of any sort, there are many others, including: sustainability, soil health, water use, carbon cycle, biogenic and above ground GHG emissions, animal health, worker health and safety, child labor responsible sourcing, ethical or fair trade, etc. Competing schemes address their own mix of concerns. Fourth, while all of the regen ag schemes give primacy to pre-farmgate practice, some are tentatively trying to move downstream into packing, processing, distribution, and retailing, apparently out of concern that inappropriate conditions or practices that occur during later stages of the supply chain might violate regenerative philosophy and adversely affect resulting products. Fifth, while all regen ag schemes seem to concentrate on practices, some are trying to certify the products themselves, and others are seeking ways to address and measure outcomes. Sixth, all regen ag schemes are driven (or at least affected) by a mix of supply, demand and philosophical factors. Any given scheme may elect to structure itself differently, depending on chosen goals, geographic domain, industry coverage, choice of supply chain stages, financing source and market linkages. So what does this all imply for food safety: (1) sometimes no coverage at all, or at least just partial; (2) apparent need and opportunity for alliances with separate food safety standards and certification bodies, which are far more evolved; (3) need for all leading players to think bigger and act accordingly; (4) apparent need and opportunity for an integrated approach that straddles and interconnects standards that address distinct objective functions; (5) need for further maturation of standard scheme holders, the regulatory environment, and the marketplace. FYI, without any implied endorsement but with due thanks and attribution to "A Greener World", below I insert a URL for a useful table by AGW: https://lnkd.in/eEpptej2 Note the absence of true food safety content among selected leaders in this space!

🌱 The pet sector is aiming for greater 𝐬𝐮𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐢𝐧𝐚𝐛𝐢𝐥𝐢𝐭𝐲. 𝐀𝐥𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐧𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐯𝐞 𝐩𝐫𝐨𝐭𝐞𝐢𝐧 𝐬𝐨𝐮𝐫𝐜𝐞𝐬 are being tested in a bid to move away from meat in the long term. While scientists perceive great potential here, they remain sceptical. Read more in the current issue of 𝘗𝘌𝘛 𝘸𝘰𝘳𝘭𝘥𝘸𝘪𝘥𝘦 now online 👇 #sustainablefood #sustainability #alternativeproteinsources #petworldwidemagazine #premiuminformation #PremiumInformation #printdigitalonline #petindustry #petmarket

One of my strategic thought partners works at a pet food company. Why? Pet food often follows human food trends. We share supply chains. And most importantly, agricultural practices spread across the globe from farmer to farmer. While the skeptics sometimes flinch at the "big names" getting into #regenerativeag, these types of collaborations move the industry forward and done right, support farmer livelihood. https://lnkd.in/gMHV8fKF