| |
In This Issue
Editor's Note
The Time is Now for Sustainable Consumption
Global consumption patterns are changing: Consumers are demanding products that deliver greater value with fewer environmental costs. Companies that embrace sustainable consumption are poised to gain a competitive advantage by innovating new products and engaging new customers.
In this week’s feature, BSR Director Virginia Terry previews BSR’s 2011 agenda on sustainable consumption, which includes a series of research briefs and workshops designed to help our members get ahead of this trend. In particular, we will help company managers identify opportunities related to sustainable design, rapid obsolescence, and end-of-use issues.
Today, we also feature our first research brief related to sustainable consumption, which provides an overview of the food-waste challenge and gives examples of what some companies are doing now to reduce waste along their value chains.
Finally, we highlight the International Institute for Environment and Development’s new guide to understanding land deals in Africa.
 |
In Depth
Prosperity on a Crowded Planet: BSR’s Next Phase of Work on Sustainable Consumption
By
Global consumption patterns are shifting: Consumers are increasingly demanding products that deliver greater value with fewer environmental costs. To help companies get ahead of this trend—and gain a competitive advantage—BSR will work with members in 2011 to identify opportunities related to sustainable consumption, including sustainable design, rapid obsolescence, and end-of-use issues.
Read more →
|
Spotlight
Waste Not, Want Not—An Overview of Food Waste
By Guy Morgan, Director, Advisory Services, BSR
As highlighted in BSR's new research brief on food waste—the first in a series exploring different elements of sustainable consumption—there is enough food to feed the world, but 30 percent of all food grown worldwide (approximately US$48.3 billion) is either lost or wasted before it reaches the consumer.
Food waste is a global, "farm-to-fork" issue. At the farm and plantation level in low-income countries, between 15 and 35 percent of food is lost due to poor agricultural techniques, pest infestations, and a lack of infrastructure such as grain silos. Downstream in richer countries, around 30 percent or more of food is discarded in processing, transportation, the retail environment (supermarkets and restaurants), and people's kitchens.
Companies are taking the following actions to tackle food-waste issues along their value chains:
-
providing training and knowledge-sharing opportunities for small farms and food processors
-
investing in "zero-waste" facilities
-
partnering with food banks and others to make the most of excess food
-
designing marketing campaigns that encourage "smart" consumption patterns
For more information, contact Guy Morgan or Kai Robertson.
Toolbox
Closer Look: Understanding Land Deals in Africa
The International Institute for Environment and Development's new guide to understanding land deals in Africa explores the significant impacts land contracts have on agriculture and food security in recipient countries. Land contracts define the terms of an investment project, and particularly how risks, costs, and benefits are distributed and who has the authority to sign the contract and through what process.
An analysis of 12 land deals revealed that current contracts—which often grant long-term rights to land and water, promise little revenue and jobs in return, and do not properly address social and environmental issues—often leave local communities with the burdens of costs and few of the benefits of the investments.
The report encourages public scrutiny on issues such as the:
-
extent to which landholders have control over key decisions affecting their land, and the extent to which the public can hold governments and investors accountable
-
economic fairness between the investor and the host country
-
distribution of risks, costs, and benefits within the host country
-
degree of integration of environmental considerations
|
|
|
