Page 305 - Design for Environment A Guide to Sustainable Product Development

CHAPTER 15

Food and Beverage

Industries

Overview
Food and beverages represent a product category in which sustainabil-
ity issues are highly visible to the consumer, perhaps more than any
other category. Health consciousness and rising consumer interest in
“natural” and “organic” foods have transformed the industry. This has
paved the way for a deeper examination of how food consumption
impacts the planet, spurred by concerns over global warming. Occa-
sional crises, such as the discovery of E.coli in vegetables or melamine
contamination in imported commodities, have raised concerns about
the safety of the food supply. In opposition to commercial trends
toward fast foods and packaged foods, new movements have emerged
that promote “slow food” and locally harvested food. Genetically engi-
neered crops have also stirred controversy about health, ecological,
and ethical issues. The proximity, freshness, and authenticity of local
foods present an increasingly viable alternative to the efficiency and
economies of scale that can be achieved by the global food industry.
According to the World Wildlife Fund (WWF), the agricultural
sector accounts for over 50% of habitable land around the world, 70%
of water use, the highest use of chemicals and the highest pollution
among all sectors, and from 25% to 40% of greenhouse gas emissions.
Yet global food demand will double in 50 years, and the development
of renewable materials and fuels is placing increasing pressure on
limited agricultural land. Meanwhile, hundreds of millions of people
live in poverty, own no land, and are chronically hungry. WWF has
worked extensively with various food and beverage industry sectors
to encourage the adoption of more sustainable agricultural practices
and to establish certification systems for sustainably harvested com-
modities, such as soy, sugar cane, cocoa, coffee, palm oil, and seafood.
For example, the Marine Stewardship Council is the world’s leading
certification and eco-labeling program for sustainable seafood.

281