Ontario Agriculture

The network for agriculture in Ontario, Canada

Finding value in carbon footprints and environmental labelling

Synthesis Agri-Food Insights
February, 2010

Finding value in carbon footprints and environmental labelling

The Vancouver 2010 Olympics have been touted as the most "green" games ever; in fact, they are the first Olympic Games ever to actively develop a carbon management program to reduce and offset its emissions. This includes using "clean" hydroelectric power, clustering event venues to lessen travel, re-using heat energy from ice refrigeration to heat other buildings and collecting rainwater.

In Sweden , a fast-food chain has added environmental labeling to its food products. Max Burger is displaying the carbon footprint of all of the food items on its menu, a move that is reported to be going over well with consumers in the environmentally-conscious Scandinavian nation.

This growing desire for "greening" our lifestyles can present opportunities for the agri-food industry and its time to take advantage of those possibilities, says Rob Hannam, President of Synthesis Agri-Food Consulting.

"Consumers are increasingly starting to care about sustainability and although it may require a bit of a shift in thinking on the part of our sector, I definitely see this as a trend that is going to keep growing," says Hannam. "Our planet is a non-renewable resource and we all have a role to play in nurturing and protecting it."

A recent Farm Credit Canada report looks at green economics - integrating environmental considerations and consumer needs into business models - and different ways agriculture and agri-business can find value in going green.

It is important, according to the report, to put a value to green initiatives for your business by re-thinking inputs (water, energy, feedstocks/ingredients), operations (design, marketing, transportation) and outputs (products, services, emissions, packaging, waste).

Water, for example, is one of the most-used resources in agri-food and as droughts and water shortages are increasingly starting to pose problems, recycling and conservation is becoming a necessity.

Biomass - like re-using food or farm waste products or growing plants like miscanthus specifically for energy- can be an alternate source of energy. Transportation opportunities for improvement include local supply chains or environmentally friendly options like hybrid vehicles.

New technologies are being invented constantly with a view to lessening environmental impacts, and green chemistry - replacing harmful substances used in manufacturing processes with ones derived from renewable resources - is providing alternatives in plastics, crop protection and pharmaceuticals.

But despite the many possibilities and opportunities, Hannam has a caution for anyone seeking to build and promote a business on environmental labeling.

"Consumers are becoming skeptical of empty promises of environmental friendliness," he says. "If you're going to make claims of environmental responsibility, you better be able to back them up if you want your brand and your reputation to stand for something and to be valued by your customers."

Insights - so what does this mean?

It's a growing trend - Consumers are starting to look for eco-friendly alternatives in many aspects of their daily lives as their environmental awareness increases. Being a leader in this area and telling the world about it can help attract and keep customers.

Adopt a green approach - Going green may require a change in the way we look at our farm and food businesses. Some changes will be obvious, like re-using waste products or recycling water, because they save or make money. Other changes may require up-front investment so we need to re-think how we do business. Organizations should embrace "green" or "sustainability" as a part of their culture similar to the way a manufacturing operation embraces safety as a part of their culture.

It's the right thing to do - Transitioning to greener practices may mean incurring additional upfront costs and while that investment does not come with a guarantee of increased profitability, it is the right thing to do. Being environmentally conscious is part of our larger societal responsibility to ourselves and future generations.

Sincerely,

The Synthesis Agri-Food Consulting Team

Synthesis Agri-Food Consulting

"Our Passion is Problem Solving"

Views: 47

Comment

You need to be a member of Ontario Agriculture to add comments!

Join Ontario Agriculture

Agriculture Headlines from Farms.com Canada East News - click on title for full story

Hot, Dry Weather Pushes Harvest Ahead — But Moisture Reserves Take a Hit

Hot, dry weather across Alberta over the past week has sped up harvest and dried down crops quickly, giving producers a solid jump in progress — but at the cost of rapidly depleting soil moisture reserves. Provincial harvest of major crops is now 22% complete, a 14-point jump from the week prior. That’s slightly ahead of both the five-year average of 21% and the 10-year average of 17% for this time of year. Regional harvest progress of major crops: South: 33% complete (+13 from last week) Central: 16% (+13) North East: 18% (+14) North West: 24% (+18) Peace: 20% (+12) Peas and cereals led the charge. Dry pea harvest is 77% complete, spring barley is 29%, spring wheat is 26%, and oats are 17%. Canola, usually the last crop off, is just 3% harvested, though 28% of fields are already swathed. Moisture Ratings Sliding While the heat is ideal for harvest, it is taking a toll on soil reserves. Surface moisture: 45% rated good to excellent (down 12 points from last week). Sub-surface moi

All Wheat Stocks Fall to Lowest on Record

Canadian all wheat stocks as of July 31 were down from a year earlier and the lowest on record as 2024-25 exports ran hot. According to a Statistics Canada grain stocks report released Tuesday, total nationwide all wheat stocks as of July 31 – ending stocks for the 2024-25 crop year – amounted to 4.112 million tonnes. That is down more than 22% from 5.278 million a year earlier and just slightly below the previous July low of 4.169 million notched in 2022, in records dating back to 1980. July 31 durum stocks were reported at 496,000 tonnes, down almost 26% on the year and a new low as well. All wheat commercial stocks as of July 31 were down about 10% to 2.397 million tonnes, while on-farm stocks fell by more than one-third to 1.715 million. Deliveries of wheat rose 9.1% year over year to 35.2 million tonnes as of July 31, Statscan said. Total wheat exports rose 15.4% to a record 29.2 million tonnes on strong global demand, “possibly due to lower exports from other major wheat

Barley Stocks Edge Higher; Oats Fall by More than One-Quarter

Canadian barley stockpiles as of July 31 were a bit heavier compared to a year earlier, while oats stocks were markedly lighter. Tuesday’s Statistics Canada stocks report pegged July 31 barley stocks at 1.249 million tonnes, up 8.4% from the previous year’s stocks of 1.152 million and the highest for the date since 2017 at 2.122. Meanwhile, July 31 total oat stocks fell 24.3% from a year earlier to 507,000 tonnes, the lowest since July 2022 at 333,000. StatsCan attributed the rise in total July 31 barley stocks to heavier on-farm inventories, which were estimated at 994,000 tonnes, up 13.2% from a year earlier. Barley stocks in commercial hands declined, falling to 255,000 tonnes from 273,000 the previous year. Deliveries of barley off farm decreased 6% to 4.1 million tonnes as of July 31, while exports fell 7.2% year over year to 2.8 million tonnes, StatsCan said. Barley used largely for feed purposes fell 2.6% to 5.1 million tonnes. For oats, commercial stocks rose 3.4% to 24

Gearing up for Parliament’s return

Agriculture Minister Heath MacDonald is going to have to produce results, an ag policy analyst says

Research Projects and Companies Supported Through OAFRI

Canada and Ontario invest $4.77 million through OAFRI, supporting 48 projects and 20 companies to boost research, innovation, and resilience in the agri-food sector.

© 2025   Created by Darren Marsland.   Powered by

Badges  |  Report an Issue  |  Terms of Service