Emmanuel Faber: “We cannot build a sustainable food business without sustainable agriculture”

 Picture: Emmanuel Faber

This year, the Sustainable Agriculture Initiative (SAI) Platform will be 10 years old. Emmanuel Faber, Deputy General Manager of Danone, explains how the initiative was born and what issues it must address for the future.

The Sustainable Agriculture Initiative Platform is a non-profit “food industry organization aiming to support the development of sustainable agriculture, involving food chain stakeholders”. It was created by Danone, Nestlé and Unilever in 2002 in order to facilitate sharing of knowledge and initiatives to support sustainable agriculture practices, while developing a productive, competitive and efficient way to produce agricultural goods. Today, it has over 40 members^* and is still the only global food industry initiative for sustainable agriculture.

Here are a few words that Emmanuel Faber, Deputy General Manager of Danone, shared at the 10^th anniversary of the SAI Platform, which was celebrated in Evian from 2 to 4 May.

A crucial issue for the future

“The question of sustainability in agriculture is absolutely crucial for the food industry. Over the past 50 years we have built a system that has delivered a large quantity of food to a growing number of people, with, overall, significantly enhanced food safety. But if we look at things going forward, there is no doubt that we need to rethink the sustainability of our model. Feeding 7 billion people is a different story to feeding 5, and feeding 9 will be a different story again. This, in a nutshell, sums up the entire sustainability question.”

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Editorial by Franck Riboud, CEO of Danone

We are pleased to provide you with the editorial written by Franck Riboud, CEO of Danone, on the 2011 Annual Sustainability Report.

“People often ask me why Danone’s sustainable development action places such importance on social innovation projects. For example, why did we include this focus in the individual targets of the company’s 1,400 managers? Why have we set up investment funds like the Danone Ecosystem Fund and, more recently, the Livelihoods Fund? What economic benefit can a major corporation like Danone expect in return? And should we continue in this way despite the difficult and uncertain global context?

My answer to those who might be tempted to turn back is simple: in sustainable development more than any other area, we can only rise to the challenges if we are able to develop radically different approaches. This requires the ability to explore and try out new ways. It is therefore more vital than ever that Danone’s eyes and ears be wide open to the world, to meet current expectations and make the necessary changes to prepare the company for those of tomorrow. Our approach of being an open-minded company seeking to co-design new solutions with our stakeholders is firmly rooted in Danone’s culture and model and contributes to our overall long-term performance.

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« Communities in the South need to be invited to play an active role in the growing global sustainability movement » - Camilla Burg, WiserEarth

Camilla Burg, communications and outreach director for Wiser.org, the social network for sustainability, shares her thoughts on the need for greater connectivity and collaboration among those working on sustainability issues around the world, and how technology can help to drive social innovation.

Camilla Burg is the communications and outreach director of Wiser.org, the Social Network for Sustainability (also known under the name WiserEarth). This project, which originated in 2005 in the United States, aims to connect people, organizations and groups who are working in the many fields of sustainable development. The network is about to turn 5 years old and over the past 2 years has been made available in French, Bahsa Indonesian, Chinese, German, Portuguese, Italian and Spanish (and more languages are on their way). It now has 70 000 members – or « 70 000 community managers », as Camilla says. It thus seemed pertinent to have a discussion with her about how  technology, applied to sustainability, is creating a new frame for environmental and social justice issues.

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The Brundtland Report, a 25-year-old milestone

Photography © Le Soleil, Yan Doublet

In 1987, this visionary text laid the foundations of sustainable development. Focus on the genesis of one of the biggest stakes of the 21^st century.

In April 1987, Gro Harlem Brundtland, former Norwegian Prime Minister, presented to the UN the result of the World Commission on Environment and Development she had been chairing for the past three years. It was a report, entitled « Our Common Future », that would rapidly be known to all as the « Brundtland Report ». Written by 23 experts from 22 different countries, it officially defined sustainable development for the first time: the « development that meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs ». In this respect, is it often said to be the founding act of sustainable development as an international stake.

But it is not the only reason why « Our Common Future » has had such repercussions and is still a reference today. There is more to it than just a « mere » definition of sustainable development, and its findings and recommendations are still extremely relevant. Why is the Brundtland Report a milestone? What is its legacy? And how can it still lead the way to a better future? Flash-back.

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World Water Day: older people contributions can make a difference

Reblogged from helpage.org, by Prakash Tyagi:

The 6th World Water Forum concluded recently in Marseille, France and generated a great deal of interest among policy makers, governments, development agencies and civil society. However, older people’s concerns about current water crisis, how they are affected and their potential contributions were sidelined.

22 March is also World Water Day and another opportunity to raise awareness of people around the world who do not have access to clean water. According to the latest statistics, globally, close to a billion people are forced to live without safe drinking water and around two billion are deprived of basic sanitation.

The majority of these people live in the developing world, but mainly Sub-Saharan Africa and South Asia. A substantial part of these numbers is made up of older people living in impoverished conditions in rural areas.

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In Rajasthan, India, an extraordinary school teaches rural women and men — many of them illiterate — to become solar engineers, artisans, dentists and doctors in their own villages. It’s called the Barefoot College, and its founder, Bunker Roy, explains how it works in this TED video.

Where did social enterprise come from, anyway?

Reblogged from Good.is, worte by Sarah Stankorb:

In the first installment of our new series on how social enterprise changing business, Sarah Stankorb looks at the origins of the impact economy and why the sector is blowing up today.

Businesses, even those outside the realm of greedy corporate drones, are designed to earn a profit. Other priorities, like environmental sustainability or job creation, are reached only through happy accidents or marketing ploys to help companies make more money. Surely, if you’re raking in the dough, you can’t be making a difference—at least not on purpose.

This outdated vision of commerce has multiple origins, but if asked, most students of social enterprise will point an accusing finger at Milton Friedman’s 1970 New York Times Magazine essay “The Social Responsibility of Business is to Increase Its Profits.” Friedman’s point (though slightly more nuanced than the title or its interpretation might suggest) was that corporate executives have a responsibility to maximize profit. Frittering away money on other objectives—say, fighting poverty—would cheat stockholders, employees, and customers out of cash that is rightfully theirs.

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17 twitter accounts you should follow on CSR and Sustainability

Illustration by scott_hampson.

As we love sharing curated content on down to Earth, we do a daily CSR - Sustainability watch. Here are 17 of the best twitter accounts sharing great CSR / sustainability content everyday!

@3BLMedia 

For 3BLMedia, CSR is more than press releases. It is videos, blogs, and more. 3BL is the leading distributor of CSR & sustainability news and content across the social web.

@AmanSinghCSR

Experienced journalist, blogger, expert communicator, social media strategist, CSR & sustainable business, diversity, HR. Founder of Singh Solutions and ED at CSRwire.

@ClimateActio2n

Tweets on CO2 initiatives.

@CSRwire

CSRwire is the leading source of corporate social responsibility (CSR) and sustainability news, reports & information. 

@davidcoethica

CSR & sustainability believer, Euro Director 3BLMedia, Founder of Coethica, small biz advocate / social enterprise supporter.

@ecomagination

GE’s forum for fresh thinking and conversation about clean technology and sustainable infrastructure.

@farmingfirst

Farming First is a global coalition calling on world leaders to increase agricultural output in a sustainable and socially responsible manner.

@GOOD

GOOD is the global association of individuals, businesses, and nonprofits powering what works. Great infographics and articles about food, environment, education…

@GuardianSustBiz

Guardian Sustainable Business: aggregated news and leading-edge views for corporate sustainability professionals.

@LiamABlack

Co-founder www.thesamewavelength.com Trustee www.nesta.org.uk President www.friendsofgrameen.com, Liam Black tweets about social business and sustainability.

@rjcrespin

Entrepreneur & business community organizer. Chair of the COMMIT!Forum & Executive Director of the Corporate Responsibility Officers Assoc.

@susanmcp1

Tweets about global innovation, social entrepreneurship, CSR, cause-marketing, fundraising, engagement strategies and host the CSRChat.

@sustainableSAP

Tweeting gen’l sustainability & CSR info and news about SAP’s sustainability solutions/efforts.

@TaigaCompany

Sustainability consultant: social media wiz for green biz.

@TriplePundit

Triple Pundit is an innovative new-media company for the business community that cultivates awareness and understanding of the triple bottom line.

@YaleE360

Opinion, Analysis and the Latest Environmental News - A Publication of the Yale School of Forestry & Environmental Studies.

@Yunus_Centre

Official twitter of Nobel Peace Prize laureate Pr Muhammad Yunus, Chairman of Yunus Centre and Founder of the Grameen Bank, the bank that pioneered microcredit. He tweets about social business.

Do you have in mind more interesting twitter accounts on sustainability and CSR? Please leave a comment or answer directly on tumblr.

@Vincent_CC