Events | Food, Beverage, and Agriculture and Sustainability: A Discussion With South American Companies

BSR will host a session in São Paulo to discuss sustainability trends relevant to the Food, Beverage, and Agriculture (FBA) industry and the priority issues for companies operating in Brazil and Latin America. The session is targeted at companies across the FBA industry (e.g. inputs, growers/handlers, manufacturers, and retail/restaurants/distributors) with operations in Brazil and South America. Supporting both individual company and collaborative value chain approaches is at the core of BSR’s mission: to work with business to create a just and sustainable world.

After operating in South America for more than 10 years, BSR launched its São Paulo office in August 2012. BSR’s partnership with Rever creates a unique offering for companies operating in Brazil: 20 years of global sustainability experience to support Brazilian companies that are expanding globally and on-the-ground expertise to help global companies operating in Brazil address the most relevant sustainability issues facing the country.

Sustainability and Food, Beverage, and Agriculture

The food, beverage, and agriculture industry plays a fundamentally important role in helping to address a wide array of sustainability challenges in our efforts to provide food, fuel, and fiber for nine billion people by 2050. Agriculture occupies 40-50 percent of the Earth’s land, contributes to about 10 percent of man-made global emissions, accounts for more than 70 percent of global freshwater use, and represents about 40-45 percent of global employment. As population increases and economies develop, competition for land water and land use will only increase, exacerbating existing environmental and social tensions.

At the same time, increasing uncertainties such as rising input costs, increasing price volatility, changing market dynamics, and evolving consumer expectations are impacting fundamental business drivers in such a way that businesses must respond. In addition, more systemic issues related to health and wellness, food waste, and local economic development occur along the entire value chain. To address such complex issues, collaboration among FBA companies and beyond (government, civil society, and other industries) will be critical to find innovative and effective solutions and to turn ideas and ambitions into concrete steps.

Agenda

1. Overview FBA and sustainability

BSR will lead a discussion on emerging trends that are impacting the way business is conducted across the globe. We will discuss social and environmental risks and opportunities affecting global and local operations, using case studies to show real-life examples. We will discuss stakeholder expectations and the role of FBA companies in addressing sustainability challenges.

2. Tools and solutions along the value chain

BSR will present best practices and methodologies for FBA companies to develop effective sustainability strategies, governance structures, and stakeholder engagements drawing from projects in the region and across the globe. We will facilitate discussions using concrete examples to highlight these management practices in action focusing on the identified topics in our company survey.

3. Local relevance of global trends
BSR will facilitate a discussion about the local relevance of global trends such as:

• Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights
• Upcoming Global Reporting Initiative (GRI) G4 Guidelines
• Link between buyer behavior and sustainable production: Introduction of Brazil-China Collaboration for Sustainability Performance
• Emergence of food waste as sustainability priority

4. Group discussion: Local challenges and collaborative solutions

BSR will facilitate an open group discussion on priorities for companies operating in Brazil, successes and challenges, and suggestions for solutions moving forward. Discussion topics will include those identified in our company survey:

• Climate change
• Supplier engagement
• Sustainable agriculture
• Water management

Speakers

• Joe Sellwood, Director, South America, BSR
• Ryan Flaherty, Manager, Advisory Services, BSR