By Rose Scanlon-Jones, Jente Fabriek, Cliona Howie
Foundation Earth and Foodsteps have joined forces to revolutionise the food industry amidst growing concerns for sustainability and environmental impact. As their partnership enters its second year, we delve into their achievements, collaborations and their vision for the future of food labelling.
What has our partnership achieved over the past year?
Throughout the past year, Foundation Earth and Foodsteps have collaborated diligently to conduct comprehensive farm-to-fork Life Cycle Assessments (LCAs) using Foundation Earth’s Product Environmental Footprint (PEF) aligned methodology. Together, they have analyzed the sustainability of over 50+ products across four companies, offering environmental impact scoring and valuable recommendations to food companies. Empowering businesses with informed decisions, this collaboration has driven positive change.
“We are excited and proud to be working with Foodsteps in our common goal to drive sustainability within the food value chain. Our mutual ambition is to make ecolabelling the new norm, helping companies meet their targets on environmental performance and transparency, but importantly offering a widely harmonised method that allows for benchmarking and creates a level playing Field. Avoiding proliferation will be at the heart of our work,” says Cliona Howie, CEO of Foundation Earth.
An outline of our collaborations with Government Agencies in the UK
Recognising the significance of working alongside government agencies and policymakers, Foundation Earth and Foodsteps collectively engage with DEFRA (Department for Environment and Rural Affairs) and other relevant entities. By aligning their work with national priorities, they actively contribute to developing national labelling schemes and research initiatives. Foundation Earth strives to create a level playing field for businesses and ensure consistent communication with customers. Foodsteps support this mission and is also involved in many internal DEFRA working groups and works to help officials share guidance towards a standardised environmental labelling system within the UK.
Our thoughts on the future of food carbon and environmental labelling
Foundation Earth and Foodsteps support initiatives that advocate for an international single-food labelling system. Their collective aim is to drive transformative impact on a global scale. By fostering collaboration between public and private entities, they seek to spur innovation, inform policy decision-making, and inspire commitment, transparency, and improvement within the food system. Their collaborative approach accelerates progress and scalability.
Looking ahead
The partnership between Foundation Earth and Foodsteps has already achieved remarkable progress in creating a more sustainable future for the food industry. Through their comprehensive assessments, collaborations with government agencies, and dedication to harmonised labelling, they inspire positive change and reshape our perception of the environmental impact of the food we consume. Together, they strive for a greener and more sustainable world, inviting others to join their cause and make a significant impact on the global food system.
Related posts:
New partnership with the German Institute of Food Technologies (DIL)
A year of Foundation Earth ecolabelling: 5 things we have learned
Automation for food ecolabelling: Foundation Earth teams up with Sustained
Building an expert task force to develop a harmonised food ecolabel
DSM joins Foundation Earth to help measure the environmental impact of animal protein products
Coca-Cola in Europe joins Foundation Earth to assess the environmental impact of a selection of products
