Driving Toward a Sustainability Road Map

Written by: Rob Cooper   |   August 5, 2020

IFEEDER, Environmental footprint, Member value

When we listen to what our members and donors are saying, it is incredible how a small idea can grow into a much larger project.

At the Institute for Feed Education and Research (IFEEDER), we have spent a lot of time helping our members and donors get to know the public charity’s new president Constance Cullman. As part of these introductions, we have also listened closely to what our supporters have had to say. We have heard amazing stories, met some incredible people and have come away from each meeting with a nugget or two of information about how we can continue to support the American Feed Industry Association’s member companies.

Continuing to focus on sustainability issues was certainly something we heard over and over again. Many companies have already taken action to develop their sustainability plans and share their stories, but there were also some that wanted to do more but were unsure of where to start.

Over its first decade, IFEEDER has taken on many research projects to help the industry continually improve its overall sustainability efforts. It’s exciting work for sure but there is definitely more we can and should do.

Early on, IFEEDER and the AFIA worked on the Livestock Environmental Assessment Performance (LEAP) Project and the newly formed Global Feed LCA Institute committee to more accurately measure animal agriculture’s environmental impact. IFEEDER has continued to build upon that early science-based research by supporting the research of  Dr. Frank Mitloehner, an air quality specialist at the University of California-Davis and the director of the Center for Clarity and Leadership in Environmental Assessment and Research (CLEAR) Center. With the center’s research, IFEEDER has educated decision makers, government officials and consumer influencers about sustainability in the animal feed industry. IFEEDER is helping these key stakeholders understand how animal agriculture can lead the way in being a solution provider in meeting climate neutrality goals.

Working with the IFEEDER Research Committee, the Board of Trustees and the AFIA Sustainability Oversight Committee, we sat down in May and discussed how the industry charity can continue to build on this important theme. We realized that there is still an opportunity to build on the strengths of both organizations to conduct sustainability research and help further communicate sustainability improvements in the animal feed industry.

This past week, IFEEDER released a request for proposals (RFP) for our sustainability road map initiative. The goal is to further build upon the work of IFEEDER and the AFIA Sustainability Oversight Committee to leverage the combined resources of both organizations and develop a clear strategy to guide member companies looking to build their internal sustainability programs and messages.

IFEEDER aims to:

• identify the sustainability risks and needs of AFIA’s members by segment (e.g., feed manufacturer vs. ingredient manufacturer, etc.);
• develop tools that AFIA’s members can use to enhance or build their own sustainability programs;
• clearly communicate what sustainability means for the American animal feed sector;
• target specific sustainability research topics to close knowledge gaps; and
• develop a “sustainability roadmap” that helps AFIA members and IFEEDER connect the industry’s overall sustainability story with the values of its stakeholders.

Once this work is completed, IFEEDER will release a second RFP that helps us implement the sustainability roadmap, based on the information gleaned from the first part of the project.

Our goal with this project is to promote trust in the feed industry as a committed partner in bringing forward sustainable protein and dairy products to the marketplace.

To view the RFP, visit IFEEDER’s website or contact me at ifeeder@ifeeder.org.