Pauline Rutter discusses sustainability challenges including population growth, resource use, emissions, and waste. She notes the need to move from current linear systems to more circular economies where waste is viewed as a resource. Companies have an important role to play by engaging suppliers, using assurance schemes, and potentially creating natural capital through activities like reforestation and habitat restoration.

1. Pauline Rutter Understanding Sustainability Oct 2013
Pauline Rutter
Understanding Sustainability

2. What inspires?
Pauline Rutter Understanding Sustainability Oct 2013

4. SKY GREENS
http://skygreens.appsfly.com

5. www.earthfromtheair.com

6. Ruth Clements
Food Animal Initiative
www.europeanfarmersnetwork.org
The previous year of lameness incidence
was18.5% in the same period .
Food Animal
Initiative (FAI)
Supporting:
Environment (securing
the planet in the face of the
challenge of climate change),
Economics (food must be
affordable) and
Ethics (food must be
produced safely and with the
welfare of the animal in mind)

8. What are the challenges?

9. Population Growth?
1800: 1 billion
1960: 3 billion
2000: 6 billion
2050: 9 billion

10. We now consume in six weeks the same amount of oil that was consumed in
one year in 1950. Half of it is used for transport.
Today, 20 % of the worlds population
do not have
access to safe drinking water.
With only about 200,000 cubic kilometres of
freshwater available to ecosystems and humans of
the total 1.4 billion km3 water we must be
responsible to not pollute earth’s
Resource Use?

11. World emissions of CO² (the main greenhouse gas) have
multiplied by 4 since 1950
Anthropogenic climate change
The 1990 – 2000 decade was the
hottest since 1861
Tesco United Kingdom 2011/2012 Tonnes CO2e 2,480,000
CO² Emissions ?

12. WRAP: Estimates of waste in the food and drink supply chain (2012:8)
Waste?
“Any substance or object
which the holder discards or
intends to, or is required to
discard."
UN definition

13. Science and debate?
“Sir David
Attenborough is
wrong to be
concerned about
a rise in the global
population.” says
Professor Robert
Winston
(member of the House of
Lords and pioneering
researcher in the field of
fertility)

14. Earth from the Air
A photographic portrait of our planet
towards a sustainable future
by Yann Arthus-Bertrand
The National Tour Exhibition
The exhibition presented by Wecommunic8
www.earthfromtheair.com

15. • C
Good business has a positive
and dynamic role to play.

16. What concerns me?
Zero waste: Waste as a resource: http://www.sita.co.uk/about-us/our-vision

17. Project code: WRAP01 312 PAD102-308 Research date: October - December 2012

18. ‘The Circular Economy offers a profound
transformational opportunity, which
represents the interests of both the global
community as well as the next generation.
Transitioning towards a regenerative model
will stimulate economic activity in the areas of
product innovation, remanufacturing and
refurbishment, and in turn generate
employment.’
Cisco Chris Dedicoat, President, EMEA
Zero waste: Waste as a resource: http://www.sita.co.uk/about-us/our-vision

19. Building Public Trust Awards 2012:Sustainability reporting Sustainability reporting in the FTSE 100 & 250 and
public sector (awarded jointly by PwC and the National Audit Office: 2012)
Winner: Unilever.
However, “The standard of sustainability reporting has largely remained the
same year on year.” Malcolm Preston, Global Head of Sustainability, PwC
Building Public Trust Awards 2012

20. WRAP: Estimates of waste in the food and drink supply chain (2012:4)

21. http://www.igd.com/supplychainwaste
zerowasteispossible
And then there’s
the emerging
question of how
companies
can create
natural
capital (e.g.
replant forests,
purify water,
restore habitats.

22. Sense making
for sustainability
Cognitive – thinking
Linguistic - talking about
Conative - doing/taking action
Ref:

23. Moving from this:

24. To this

25. Key mechanisms by which retailers may drive (push) or facilitate consumers to pull the environmental improvement of
product supply chains, with reference to relevant types of certification and labelling (Styles et al. 2012).

26. Via this

27. Supplier Engagement:
1) Engage with relevant business support organisations
(Chamber of Commerce, Business Link, local/regional
food groups- Sustain, WRAP, Carbon Trust NFU, English Food and Farming Partnerships)
2) Initiate supplier mapping and capability assessments
3) Organise meet the buyer events
4) Advertise and promote opportunities widely
5) Initiate early dialogue with the supplier community: to find
out what is available, to inform the market of future requirements, and to stimulate sustainable
procurement but without distorting competition or giving any advantage to particular suppliers
6) Use of food assurance schemes: to help inform technical specifications and thereby
assure/ raise production standards
Action:

28. Via this
Tesco total global carbon footprint 2011/2012 (Tesco Corporate Responsibility Review 2012:18

29. By companies?
A Better Retailing Climate: Progress Report 2012 (British Retail Consortium)

30. Understanding

31. Benefits, risks and scope
for change
Is there scope to
engage with the
discussion about
corporate
creation of
natural
capital for
value creation?
Simple benefit (risk) / opportunity matrix - National Sustainable Public Procurement Training Programme (Defra:2011)

32. Thank You
Pauline Rutter
M: 0781 7566536
E: pauline.rutter@gmail.com

33. References:
• Yann Arthus-Bertrand Exhibition www.earthfromtheair.com
• Sky Greens http://skygreens.appsfly.com
• Food Animal Initiative (FAI) www.europeanfarmersnetwork.org
• IKEA ?
• WRAP01 312 PAD102-308 Research date: October - December 2012
• WRAP: Estimates of waste in the food and drink supply chain (2012:4)
• Inter Governmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) AR5 Working Group 1 Climate Change 2013 The Physical
Basis
• SITA, Zero waste: Waste as a resource: http://www.sita.co.uk/about-us/our-vision
• SITA, Emissions savings of recycling. Source ‘ Managing Carbon at SITA’ 2011:5
• http://www.igd.com/supplychainwast
• Styles D., Schoenberger H., and Galvez-Martos J. (2012) Environmental improvement of product supply chains:
Proposed best practice techniques, quantitative indicators and benchmarks of excellence for retailers. Journal of
Environmental Management 110 (2012) 135:150