DSM and Foundation Earth collaborate on animal protein eco-label initiative

31 Jan 2023 --- Royal DSM and Foundation Earth, an independent, non-profit organization issuing front-of-pack Eco Impact scores on food products, have inked an agreement to cooperate on eco-labeling of food and beverages, particularly animal protein products such as eggs, milk, fish and meat. The move is being marketed to empower consumers to make more sustainable food choices based on transparent and credible information.

Under terms of the partnership, DSM will undertake full Life Cycle Assessments (LCAs) for participating brands under the Foundation Earth method, enabling companies to access an aggregated Eco Impact score on their food and drink products and an eco-label that can be displayed on the front-of-pack. 

An emerging area of interest
Speaking to FoodIngredientsFirst, Heinz Flatnitzer, senior director of emission value management at DSM Animal Nutrition and Health, says eco-labeling is “an emerging area of growing interest that different players and a variety of approaches can characterize.”

Based on historical evidence, DSM sees that clear, credible eco-labeling can influence consumers to make more sustainable choices.

“Overall, the goal is to get clear and easy-to-understand information to consumers so that they can make informed choices about the environmental impacts of products they consume,” he outlines. 

Within the space, there’s a range of similar but somewhat differentiated claims, such as sustainable, organic, higher welfare, biodiversity, etc. Flatnitzer believes that for consumers, it’s not yet clear what each of these means and how they are defined. 

“Currently, there are more than 450 different eco-labels available, and more being developed as we speak,” he adds.

Credibility is key
To be accepted by consumers and industry, a claim must be credible, measurable and verifiable, asserts Flatnitzer. “Sustainability is complex in this respect because it cannot be boiled down to just one variable.”

Optimizing for just one aspect, such as greenhouse gas emissions, could have adverse impacts on land use, water emissions or biodiversity. “We believe it’s important to look at the full environmental footprint, consistent with the EU Product Environmental Footprint (PEF).”

Flatnitzer explains how the industry would rather believe in eco-labels that allow for quantitative differentiation between products based on the actual footprints of the producers (e.g., from A+ to G, like Eco Impact from Foundation Earth). 

“Many eco-labels request products only to qualify for an eco-label based on less transparent criteria or do not allow for enough differentiation between more sustainable and less sustainable products. Thus, we believe in scored eco-labeling in which products are differentiated.”Heinz Flatnitzer says eco-labeling is “an emerging area of interest.”

“Our partnership with Foundation Earth affirms our belief in using scientific methodologies, the full environmental impact and primary data as key to delivering credible information to customers. We are welcoming the opportunity to deliver credible information to consumers and transform the sustainability of our food system,” he comments. 

Time to act?
Flatnitzer attests that companies “need to take leadership and responsibility to contribute to decreasing the environmental footprint.”

He underscores that more is needed to wait for regulations and frameworks with uncertain timeframes, given the situation’s urgency. 

“I hope more companies get involved because creating a food system that respects our planetary boundaries requires everyone to do their part. There may be a first-mover advantage in sustainable protein production, meaning that those who figure this out sooner could stand to gain the most.”

“Credible data will unleash a race to the top regarding sustainability. We hope the EU follows a similar mindset to base its eco-labeling initiative on scientific methodologies, primary and credible data and the full environmental footprint according to acknowledged standards such as EU PEF. We expect that after this framework, many eco-labels will consolidate to a few that meet high-level quality requirements,” he divests. 

Based on historical evidence, DSM sees that clear, credible eco-labeling can influence consumers to make more sustainable choices. 

“In the future, the tools, methods and technologies will advance rapidly, allowing more transparency to flow through the value chain. An important requirement is that consumers understand the eco-label information and believe in the quality of the labels. The environment is just one part of the equation: consumers also want healthy nutrition,” Flatnitzer underlines. 

“I expect consumers will demand both ‘good for me’ and ‘what’s good for the planet’ and that this will become the sweet spot for companies aiming for long-term success.”

Meeting global climate goals
Notably, Flatnitzer points to growing awareness from stakeholders across the board – consumers, regulators, CPG companies, retailers, foodservice companies, financial institutions – who demand that global food systems become more sustainable to feed an additional 2 billion people while meeting global climate goals by 2050. 

“A supply chain approach is becoming more common, and having reliable data is the foundation for partners to work together effectively,” he adds. 

Retailers and FMCG companies are increasingly making science-based commitments to become net zero by creating an impetus for feed and animal protein producers to be more actively involved in contributing to their customers’ Scope 3 commitments. 

Thus, there are increasing requests for suppliers to deliver sustainable products in the food sector. Consumers, especially Gen Z, have a more sustainable purchasing-behavior. Financial institutions have begun incorporating these criteria into their decisions to provide and allocate capital such as with sustainability-linked loans.The move is being marketed to empower consumers to make more sustainable food choices based on transparent and credible information.

“At the same time, governments and civil society have given these issues higher priority – as shown by the Paris commitments and the Methane Pledge. All of this reflects the fact that action is needed now, as time is not on our side,” he explains. 

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 based on accredited methodologies. 

Sustell is an intelligent sustainability service that delivers accurate, simple, and actionable farm-level solutions to improve animal protein production’s environmental footprint and profitability. 

Spotlight on labels
This latest move from DSM and Foundation Earth comes amid a flurry of movement in the F&B space around labeling, particularly those pushing planet-friendly systems. 

Last week, FoodIngredientsFirst reported that IFOAM Organics Europe was taking legal action before the Paris Court of Justice to defend the integrity and reliability of green labeling on food products. 

Notably, this is one of many labeling disputes currently in the headlines. 

Earlier this month, ProVeg International discussed the possibility that UK government officials could tighten labeling rules for dairy-free plant-based alternatives, effectively banning dairy-like terms such as “milk” and “butter.” 

Moreover, the plant-based advocates also believe the US Food and Drink Administration is pondering plant-based wording restrictions.

Edited by Elizabeth Green