MUNICH — As the population of the world continues to grow, a challenge the food industry faces is how to feed everyone in an efficient and effective way, while also taking into account the environment. In a presentation at iba, taking place October 22-26 in Munich, titled From Carbon Footprint to Carbon Fingerprint, Richard Hobson, CEO of We Seal, talked about small businesses’ reactions to the climate crisis and the contributions they can make toward local and global sustainability goals.
Hobson recommended taking an individual approach to the climate crisis and looking at ways to reduce a carbon fingerprint as opposed to a carbon footprint.
“Let’s think of it more as a carbon fingerprint,” Hobson said. “What is my individual impact on our environment, both from a carbon perspective and the other environmental concerns that we have?”
Hobson advised business owners to define what they do. No matter the scale, the products they manufacture impact the environment.
“We make these little resealable recyclable bread closures, and that’s essentially all that we do,” Hobson said of his company’s product. “We make four billion of those a year. So, we have four billion little closures going into the environment. Are we going to make sure that we can get those recycled? Are we going to make sure that our impact on the environment is kept to a minimum?”
“Let’s think of it more as a carbon fingerprint. What is my individual impact on our environment, both from a carbon perspective and the other environmental concerns that we have?” — Richard Hobson | CEO | We Seal
He also recommended considering how the products impact the environment. There are various ways a product could impact the planet such as plastic regulations or freight. One example Hobson gave was of his company’s product, which is made from plastic.
“The regulations are changing all the time around plastic in the European Union,” he said. “We’re constantly being bombarded with changes in those regulations. So, we decided we wanted to make our product recyclable, and if possible, make it out of recycled materials.”
Heading back to the basics to look at product design is sometimes necessary to reevaluate the outcome of a product. Asking questions such as “Is it the lightest it can be? Is it the smallest it can be? Can we reuse it?” is important because food waste is a major concern. Consumers need to be sure that their products can be kept fresh until consumed.
“We want our product to be reused, and we want to make sure it is recyclable,” Hobson said. “Can you do that in your environment?”
Looking at the ripple effect of the production process is another way a company can analyze its environmental impact. Questioning the amount of energy used, how much waste is generated and what fuels are used can help prioritize measurable sustainability goals.
“We can investigate biofuels,” Hobson said. “We can investigate the materials that we use. But we can also investigate planting trees. And this is something that we’ve done as an organization.”
The final tip Hobson presented was to share and learn with others in the industry. Talking to other businesses about ways to be more sustainable can lead to partnerships and influence other companies within the baking industry.
