DSM and Foundation Earth strike partnership to promote food eco-labelling
Royal DSM and Foundation Earth have struck an agreement to cooperate on eco-labelling of food and beverages to “empower consumers to make more sustainable food choices based on transparent and credible information”.
Both the global purpose-led science-based company and the independent, non-profit organisation issuing front-of-pack Eco Impact scores on food products said within the new partnership DSM will undertake full Life Cycle Assessments (LCAs) for participating brands under the Foundation Earth method.
The two believe this will enable companies to access an aggregated eco impact score on their food and drink products, as well as an ecolabel that can be displayed on the front-of-pack. The scores delivered by Foundation Earth range from A+ to G and are re-certified yearly, making it possible for product owners to improve their production and grade over time.
The agreement means that agri-food companies joining Foundation Earth can now access DSM’s Sustell service to measure and improve the environmental impacts of animal protein products (eg eggs, milk, fish and meat), based on accredited methodologies (eg EU PEF).
Developed by DSM with Blonk Consultants, Sustell is a first-of-its-kind intelligent sustainability service that delivers accurate, simple, and actionable farm-level solutions to improve animal protein production’s environmental footprint and profitability. By catalysing sustainable value chains and enabling environmental transparency and supply chain to differentiate, Sustell helps producers achieve their sustainability commitments.
Cliona Howie, CEO at Foundation Earth, Foundation Earth said: “At Foundation Earth we are always looking to extend our knowledge by partnering with diverse experts in the food sector. We are excited to join forces with DSM, who will allow us to scale our work and bring further expertise on Life Cycle Assessments for protein under the Foundation Earth method.”
Ivo Lansbergen, executive vice president of animal nutrition and health at DSM said he firmly believes that nutrition and sustainability information are essential for consumers to make informed decisions.
“Primary, farm-level data is key to enabling all the players in the animal protein value chain to unlock new market opportunities and create a race to the top in terms of sustainability. Sustell makes it possible,” Lansbergen added.
