Engaging top fresh food suppliers to help them increase sustainability credentials

Engaging top fresh food suppliers to help them increase sustainability credentials

Asda, the UK supermarket owned by US retail giant Walmart, has joined forces with sustainable business community 2degrees to engage the retailer’s top fresh food suppliers across meat, produce and bakery to increase their water, energy and waste efficiency.

2degrees will host and manage the Asda Sustain & Save Exchange, an online collaboration space where suppliers can share best practices, learn from their peers, ask questions and explore opportunities for collaboration.

The Exchange supports Asda’s transformational ‘Sustainability 2.0’ strategy, which see’s Asda shift its focus to targets for its products and supply chain. This was supported by a recent Asda report, ‘Green Is Normal,’ which highlights that Asda’s customers are demanding sustainable products and do not expect to pay a premium for it.

Sustaining business as usual

“Sustainability isn’t a bolt-on or standalone element of people’s lives – it’s simply part of them. It’s not something [customers] are thinking about getting round to – it’s as normal as having a cup of tea,” stated Paul Kelly, Asda director of corporate responsibility and external affairs.

The report also found that, in times of particular austerity, products that are more energy, waste and water efficient, were demanded more by lower income households than higher income households. It included views from customers including Dr. Shankar Kanumakala, who said: “I don’t stop caring because I can’t afford it”.

Martin Chilcott, founder and chief executive of 2degrees, added: “Asda-Walmart’s leadership in creating the Exchange represents an important step for the retailer, enabling it to increase the resilience of its supply chains against the growing risks, including resource scarcity. The Asda Sustain & Save Exchange represents a shift from the more traditional model of transactional activity with suppliers to a more ‘collaborative’ way of working – a trend that we are seeing right across the retail sector.

“2degrees will provide a managed programme with a private space for collaborative problem-solving and peer-to-peer learning for Asda and its suppliers. The programme will equip them with relevant and valuable ideas and tools through webinars, case studies and forum discussions to help them increase their water, energy and waste efficiencies.”

Delivering supply chain efficiencies

The Exchange is designed to help suppliers to explore more sustainable and efficient methods for energy, water and waste management, delivering efficiencies across the supply chain. It aims to redefine relationships with suppliers, with the potential for shared buying, logistics and category learning – enabling suppliers to become more efficient and profitable businesses, better positioned to supply Asda and its customers.

Julian Walker Palin, Asda head of corporate sustainability, said: “By helping our suppliers to become more sustainable and efficient at the same time through the Sustain & Save Exchange we are helping to ensure everyone can afford to make sustainable choices.”

Ian Bowles, group head of sustainability at Asda supplier Premier Foods, commented: “We’ve been involved in a number of these initiatives with 2degrees, and the way they have set this up gives me a lot of confidence that it will help us to make progress and give us a chance to showcase what Premier Foods is doing on sustainability; while at the same time learn from, and potentially tackle with others, things we can’t do alone.”