SunOpta Joins Food Trade Sustainability Leadership Association (FTSLA)

The FTSLA will administer the Declaration sign-on process and provide members with hands-on technical assistance to measure and make progress towards the goals laid out in the pledge.

10/09/08 SunOpta Inc., announced that it has joined with several prominent companies in the natural and organic products industry to form a new not for profit business association known as The Food Trade Sustainability Leadership Association (FTSLA). The association is currently comprised of nineteen member companies and this number is expected to grow in the coming months.

The objective of the FTSLA is to provide a network for businesses to share best practices and work toward sustainable improvements in key areas including organics, climate change, energy utilization, distribution, labor, packaging, water, waste management, animal care, corporate governance and consumer education, and in doing so, develop a clear framework for businesses to monitor and report progress, using common metrics and explicit benchmarks.

The initial focus of the organization is to complete the launch of a ``Declaration of Sustainability'' Sign-on Campaign, an 11-point action plan aimed to promote education and action toward sustainable business practices in the natural and organic food trade. Companies signing this pledge commit to continual improvement and transparency around their practices in key areas and in return will receive the education and tools needed to support their efforts. The FTSLA will administer the Declaration sign-on process and provide members with hands-on technical assistance to measure and make progress towards the goals laid out in the pledge.

Nathan Morr, Director of Social & Environmental Responsibility for SunOpta and President of the FTSLA Board commented, ``I look forward to the success of this ground breaking association. Buckminster Fuller said, 'You never change things by fighting the existing reality; to change something you must build a new model that makes the existing model obsolete.' That is what we are doing with the FTSLA -- offering a new model for companies to articulate and monitor their sustainability efforts. The association is a great vehicle which creates an opportunity to band organic food companies together on the path to a more sustainable future, and is consistent with SunOpta's continued commitment to sustainable business practices. ''