Andy Green: The Paris Climate Agreement

Andy Green talks about the US withdrawal from the Paris Climate Agreement, and takes a look at the ever-expanding universe of sustainability schemes.

With the US’ recent withdrawal from the Paris Climate Agreement, FoodChain ID Certification’s sustainability expert Andy Green has given his view on the impact this might have, and how it may turn out to be a blessing in disguise.

“The US government’s announcement of the Paris Agreement may be a benefit in disguise,” he said. “If the rest of the world steps up and individual US businesses do the same then it may create renewed focus. Sustainability schemes such as ProTerra have been key to facilitating sustainable food production at the farm level of the supply chain, and these marks and logos are becoming increasable recognisable further up the supply chain, and even at consumer level on pack. With the US withdrawal from the Paris Agreement being mainstream news across, the world, it’s no wonder that consumers are consciously looking to the food industry for commitments to a sustainable future.

“Currently all the national declared commitments fail to meet the two-degree upper limit in temperate rise and must be improved anyway. If the US does nothing than the rest of the world will have to deal with the 0.3-0.5 degree rise that the US emission will create. We can do this if the desire is there.”

Unsurprisingly, the UK supermarkets and manufacturers are now stepping forward to do their best to address such issues, such as Tesco’s commitment to tackling food waste, Waitrose’s effort to address sustainability issues identified by their suppliers, and Yeo Valley’s focus on improving soil health and organic matter levels.

“There is of course much to do,” says Green. “The British food and drink industry can play a lead role in the transformation to sustainable supply chains.”

See full article at: Feed Navigator