Jul 9, 2014

Global Sustainability Summit 2014
By: Jeanne von Zastrow, Senior Director for Sustainability, Food Marketing Institute

According to the World Wildlife Fund, by 2050 we’ll need to be feeding 9 billion people and demand for food, water and energy is expected to have doubled. It’s facts like these that are encouraging all players in our industry – from suppliers to food retailers, government and NGO’s—to come together in pre-competitive collaboration to improve sustainability within our supply chains.  The attention to environmental and social issues is making consumers care more and more that the food they eat is sustainable and environmentally conscious. Our industry is actively engaging, listening to the customer, preparing for the future and recognizing the opportunities to reduce risk, enhance our reputation and have a more sustainable supply chain.

Here are the top-five reasons to attend the 2014 Global Sustainability Summit held August 13 – 15 in Boston by the Food Marketing Institute and the Grocery Manufacturers Association:

  1. Ed-U-Ventures: Select from three choices – visit the MIT entrepreneurial institute to see the innovation lab and a 3D-printer, tour two stores leading the food waste movement or check out a beautiful Wegman’s store with focus on sustainable seafood and pay a visit to a sustainability minded seafood supplier.
  2. Sustainable Supply Chain Sourcing: Dig deep into ideas, best practices and guidelines on how to make our supply chains more sustainable so they are around when our grandkids take over.
  3. Solutions for a Hotter, Scarcer, and More Open World: Andrew Winston, founder of Winston Eco-Strategies, will give a keynote address how to profit from environmental thinking.
  4. Innovation and Inspiration: Three “out-of-the-box” thinkers share their journey from idea creation to successful implementation.
  5. Be Two Places At Once: Concurrent sessions covering everything from shelf-life to food hubs to store recycling will have you wishing you could master the art of being two places at once. 

Learn more about the 2014 Global Sustainability Summit and register online here.