Achieving sustainability in the food production system

Achieving sustainability in the food production system

In this Sustainability Leaders podcast episode, we discuss the progress that is underway to create a more sustainable food production system.

Around the world, livestock is responsible for more gas emissions than every car, airplane and train put together. What changes can be made to the food production system to support an ever-growing population while also mitigating impacts on our environment?

David Sneyd is joined by Jo Raven from FAIRR Initiative to discuss the progress that is already underway to create a more sustainable system, including the rise of alternative, plant-based proteins in the food supply chain.

In this episode:

  • Analyzing the risks in the current state of the food production system.
  • Alternative proteins: What opportunities are there for companies, and how have consumer trends changed over the past few years?
  • Details from FAIRR’s Sustainable Proteins Engagement program, including the current regulatory outlook on alternative proteins.

Related Resources

Transcript

Jo Raven: Most of the world is dependent on animal protein with factory farming being the main mode of production, but it’s becoming increasingly clear that this model is fundamentally unsustainable. Livestock emit more greenhouse-gas emissions than every car, plane and train put together, and the sector is the main driver of deforestation in the Amazon and is seen as a contributing factor in the rise of both antibiotic resistance but also novel zoonotic diseases, which means those that transfer from animals to humans, of which COVID-19 is just one example.

Michael Torrance: Welcome to “Sustainability Leaders.” I am Michael Torrance, Chief Sustainability Officer with Columbia Threadneedle Financial Group. On this show, we will talk with leading sustainability practitioners from the corporate, investor, academic and NGO communities to explore how this rapidly evolving field of sustainability is impacting global investment, business practices and our world.

Disclaimer: The views expressed here are those of the participants and not those of Bank of Montreal, its affiliates or subsidiaries.

David Sneyd: Hi, everyone. My name is David Sneyd, member of the Responsible Investment Team here at Columbia Threadneedle Investments. As part of our team’s work, we research and engage companies on many different ESG themes, but one constant through the years has been looking at how we can achieve a food-production system that is truly sustainable, being able to feed an ever-growing population whilst reducing the harms of the impacts of the current system. My guest today works for an organization with a long history of looking just at this area, as I’m joined by Jo Raven, who is Engagement Manager at FAIRR Initiative. Welcome, Jo.

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David Sneyd
David Sneyd
Vice President, Responsible Investment

David joined the Responsible Investment team in 2017 and has over 13 years of ESG experience. Prior to joining the firm David was ESG Manager at Fidelity International, responsible for their ESG integration programme, having previously held senior research positions at the governance research agencies ISS and PIRC. David has extensive experience with a European and US coverage on researching ESG topics, engaging with companies at a board/senior management level and dialoguing with policy makers. In addition he has been involved in integrating ESG themes into the investment research and decision-making processes. He has the Investment Management Certificate (IMC) from the CFA Society. He also holds a BA in Philosophy from Sussex University and an MSc in Philosophy and Public Policy from the London School of Economics.

David Sneyd
Jo Raven headshot
Jo Raven
Senior Manager, Engagements, FAIRR Initiative

Jo joined the FAIRR Initiative in October 2017. She manages its collaborative engagements with global food companies, including the development of evaluation frameworks for the market-leading engagement on protein diversification. She is responsible for the analysis and evaluation of retailers and brand manufacturers and also works closely with investor members to develop and integrate sustainable food systems as a key priority.

Prior to this, she was an Assistant-Manager at KPMG UK in their Investment Management and Funds Team, advising investment managers on risk management as well as working cross-functionally with the Sustainability Team on climate change risk for private equity firms. Jo began her career with Alliance Trust as an analyst.

Jo holds a first-class degree in BA (Hons) Geography from the University of Leeds and an MSc in Development Studies at SOAS, for which she was awarded a Distinction. She passed CFA Level 1 and holds the Investment Management Certificate (IMC).

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