Pet owners pay attention to sustainability claims on pet food products when purchasing new products. When developing new pet foods and treats, the ecological and social impacts of their production must be considered to address the environmental and egalitarian concerns of pet owners. Pet food experts discussed the benefits of incorporating sustainability into recipes during the development process of new pet food products during the “Ask the Pet Food Pro” panel discussion. pet food forum Kansas City, Missouri, 2024. Jim Lamancusa, executive director of the Pet Sustainability Coalition, moderated the discussion.
Question: Where does sustainability come into play when developing new products? And what are the challenges and benefits of including it in the process?
Shannon Landry, Pet Brand Manager, Packaged Facts
One of the biggest issues today in terms of what consumers want is value. As part of our consumer research, we asked consumers: “Would you be willing to pay more for a sustainable product?'' and “I can't afford to live sustainably right now.'' ” he asked. Currently, about one-third of consumers agree with the former and about one-third agree with the latter. The price range is large. A focus on how sustainability is linked to value will be critical. This is one of the key concepts to keep in mind: Instead of focusing on price, focus on how your sustainability efforts will benefit you, your pets, the planet, and more. I'll guess. Another issue to keep in mind is letting consumers know what sustainability is, what it means, and what your efforts are achieving. “What does it mean to live sustainably?” we ask. The majority of people respond positively to things like “recycle when you can'' and “buy products made with recycled content when you can.'' Few people think about the ingredients in their pet food. In this case, consumer education becomes important.
Brian Steinwagner, Executive Vice President of Sustainability, Morris Packaging
Everything we've been working on lately is definitely focused on a sustainable background. But we did it a different way and we were kind of starting from the back and moving forward. We first designed our materials to run on our customers' equipment. That has to be your top priority. Whatever we deliver must be able to run as fast as it currently runs, and fit into the system without considering any further waste or causing any operational issues. We tackle that objective first, make sure we've solved it, and then we put in a structure to present it to them. We use a lot of filling equipment at the beginning to make sure we don't interrupt the end of production before we say, “Here's the structure, this is what we need to do.”
Adam Craig, Director of Product Development, Hill's Pet Nutrition
We talked about product design, which is one of my main focus areas at Hills, but if carbon footprint is one of your main focus areas from a sustainability perspective, then the whole range. It is important to know the following when looking: If nearly all pet food companies emit one, two, or three emissions, more than half of their carbon footprint comes from raw materials, or ingredients found in food. Product design has a big role to play. As you break down the materials in your bucket, it's no surprise that you still need to use them at the end of the day. You can't make food without them. This is a unique challenge of how do we actually impact the carbon footprint of something that is an integral part of what we put out in terms of finished products? If you dig a little deeper into the ingredient bucket, you'll find that animal protein and grains are the two biggest drivers of most pet food products. In reality, not all proteins have the same carbon footprint. Not all grains have the same carbon footprint. There are also opportunities within food design that can dramatically impact the carbon footprint of the final product. Additionally, we are working with our suppliers to look at ways to source some of our existing raw materials through alternative farming methods that can actually reduce carbon emissions. There are a lot of opportunities in this space that require everyone to work together at an industry level between manufacturers and suppliers to really gain the traction needed to make an impact.
Elizabeth Meyer, Director of Growth and Innovation, Wilbur Ellis Nutrition
Because we are a supplier, brands depend on us to consider this before contacting us about products in development. In fact, we need to get ahead of this. But typically we're a little bit behind in the supplier space. I think of this in two ways. You need to confirm your input. First of all, what kind of materials do you use? Are they inherently sustainable? Each one has a different story, he said. It's about being smart and looking for things you can use efficiently. I love that when it comes to animal feed and food, we are inherently sustainable because we typically use by-products that would otherwise go to waste from human food. It's a good idea to work with it as much as possible. There is an input side, but there is also an output side. How do you improve waste on the back end? It's easy to think about bringing a product to market, but what happens once it's on the market? In the world of livestock production, feed efficiency think. You can think of pets in the same way. We can often see how what we put into these animals' bodies is good for them. It's good for the environment and it's good for the future of everything.
Steffy Boro, Chief Impact Officer, Earth Animal, Inc.
As Chief Impact Officer, I work with all departments within the company and have a sustainability strategy that is integrated across the company. Therefore, I work with all departments. One great resource and tool that we can provide to all of our partners, no matter where they are in the supply chain, is our Partner Code of Conduct. This really describes what is most important to us regarding our partners. It actually explains what your expectations are in terms of living wages, treatment of employees, etc. Explain sustainable procurement guidelines. That's what really matters. Whether it's a packaging supplier focused on biodiversity, deforestation and recyclability, or a raw material supplier focused on the same along with nutrition and animal welfare, what suppliers need. is. Sustainability really can be applied anywhere. But the most effective thing to do is to be the first to ensure that suppliers, no matter where they are in the supply chain, have no doubts about your company's expectations. It could be a brand. May be a distributor or retailer. What do you expect?
