Decarbonizing Commerce
Posts
The Week in Low Carbon Commerce - Nov 6, 2023

The Week in Low Carbon Commerce - Nov 6, 2023

Nov 6, 2023

Keith Anderson
November 06, 2023

The Week in Low Carbon Commerce
November 6, 2023

And, we’re live!

Decarbonize.co is live on the web, the podcast is launched (with three great episodes from three great founders), and the first event—a session on winning with Amazon on climate—is scheduled.

Have a look or listen and let me know what you think (or what’s broken!), and stay tuned for new episodes of the podcast on Thursdays.

Keith

What’s Hot

♻️ The Ellen MacArthur Foundation released its a “Five Years In” report on its Global Commitment, an initiative launched in 2018 (in partnership with the UN Environment Program) to coordinate efforts to eliminate plastic packaging waste and pollution.

The report underscores that more than 80% of the global packaging market doesn’t participate in the Global Commitment, and that performance among the 20% that do is highly variable, acknowledging targets are unlikely to be met without significantly accelerated action.
[Link]

📝 A new survey of nearly 10,000 consumers from 18 European countries released by EIT Food, supported by the European Institute of Innovation and Technology (EIT), found that 67% of respondents said they would use a universal “eco label” for food products if one were available.
[Link]

🚜 PwC, Rabobank, Temasek, and Terrascope published a joint report on Decarbonising the Agri-Food Value Chain in Asia. The report estimates that the retail and consumer stages of the value chain represent 17% of agri-food emissions in the region, while food waste and loss account for another 6%. [Link]

Subscribe

Did someone forward you this newsletter? Click here to subscribe.

Brands

🍔 Beyond Meat announced 3Q23 financial results, including lower-than-expected sales, citing category headwinds, underperforming promotions, and an unfavorable shift in sales mix. The company will reduce non-production headcount by 19% amid other expense reduction measures.
[Link]

💰 New Unilever CEO Hein Schumacher shared a new vision for the company’s sustainability strategy during its 3Q23 earnings results presentation. He cited issues with the company’s historical approach that he plans to resolve, including that Unilever’s sustainability expertise hasn’t been maximized for commercial benefit; that it has too many long-term commitments versus short-term targets; and that it force-fits purpose into every brand.

Beginning in 2024, the company will prioritize driving impact in four focus areas: climate, plastic, nature, and livelihoods.
[Link]

🧴Unilever also shared a brief progress update on progress towards plastic reduction goals, which include halving its use of virgin plastic and collecting and processing more plastic packaging than it sells by 2025. To date, the company has reduced virgin plastic by 13% versus a 2019 baseline, while post-consumer recycled (PCR) content in Unilever packaging increased from 1% to 21%. A lack of local collection, sorting, and processing infrastructure remains a key challenge. Unilever will provide an update. on its packaging sustainability strategy in the coming months.
[Link]