Supply chains hold most of the food industry’s climate impact. Reducing these emissions is the sector’s next big challenge. 

Food companies large and small aren’t working fast enough to reduce their Scope 3 emissions. But it’s where 80 to 90 percent of their emissions occur. What’s preventing companies from assuming accountability for emissions from purchased goods and services, agriculture and land-use change? How can these barriers be broken down? This conversation will shed light on one of the toughest sustainability challenges. It will propose steps businesses can take to account for and reduce their supply chain impacts in their carbon disclosure efforts and science-based targets.

American and European supermarket experts compare sustainability tactics and examine approaches for raising the industry’s climate ambition.

From airing controversial ads on palm oil and meat consumption, cutting food waste and plastics, to greening refrigerants and cleaning products, supermarkets have a big climate toolbox to work with. And for good reason. Grocers exert significant control over food supply chains while interfacing directly with consumers. What are their most successful approaches? And what enables them to act? We compare the strategies, assess their impact to date and discuss how businesses from across the big pond can learn from each other.

Discover and experiment with the sustainability tool that enables leading companies to enhance their impact — one ingredient at a time. 

Food innovators have added a new approach to their sustainability toolkit: Product databases that feature ingredient-level sustainability analysis. These powerful platforms provide superior supply chain transparency and clear metrics, allowing teams to fine-tune the social and environmental impact of their products. HowGood and leading industry innovators will describe their most inspiring and disruptive projects and let you test your sustainable product design skills in a gamified version of their tool. 

Decarbonizing farms is essential for a 1.5° future. Consider these cutting-edge technologies to make headway on your Scope 3 targets. 

A big portion of a low-carbon future lies in the hands of farmers — and in companies’ Scope 3 emissions. A dynamic ecosystem is evolving to support farmers in revamping their operations. They promise to unlock emissions reductions by electrifying farm equipment, breeding better seeds, decarbonizing inputs and generating renewable energy. Which solutions can best help food companies decarbonize their supply chains? How can they be employed equitably and improve the wellbeing of the farmers championing them?

By launching a new scalable framework, 150+ organizations are collaborating to help 99 percent of U.S. agriculture get on a better path.

More and more companies across the food and agriculture industry are promising to collaborate with farmers and ranchers to scale farming practices that improve soil health, carbon capture, water use, biodiversity and equity. Many are committed to achieving results by 2030. Yet key questions remain unanswered. How should farmers be incentivized? What are the best ways to measure, verify and report soil health outcomes? What will a regenerative marketplace look like? This is why Green Brown Blue, a food accelerator directed by the Lexicon and backed by Google, brought together experts from the entire food and agriculture ecosystem over 18 months to co-create and launch REGEN1. This new model is marketplace-driven and inclusive of the entire value chain — bringing together food companies, NGOs, farmers, ranchers, government agencies, soil scientists, academics, storytellers, and supply chain experts. The creators will explain the ins and outs of their new platform and how everyone can get involved to bring its benefits to life.

Innovators lay out the logistics and economics behind reusable packaging programs emerging across the food industry. 

The Covid-19 pandemic had a detrimental impact on hard-won improvements in the reduction of food packaging and disposable tableware. Nonetheless, circular economy warriors have continued to refine reusable packaging programs over the past year, overcoming complex economical and logistical challenges. Experts will share the important lessons to help other companies curb their waste footprint and become part of a circular future. Discover models that work, the essential steps for starting your own reusable program and what mistakes to avoid.  

Biodiversity loss is a systemic risk threatening future food supplies and ecosystem services essential to thriving agricultural communities. Yet the focus on decarbonizing global economies often overshadows building biodiversity into sustainability strategies. Tackling this challenge, the Ellen MacArthur Foundation has developed a framework that food companies can apply to design nature-positive portfolios. Gain key insights for making the case for biodiversity in your company and discover starting points in your product design processes and supply chain partnerships.