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BEYOND THE
HYPE
The real economics of sustainable food manufacturing
Shrinking your carbon footprint is harder, and more expensive, than it seemed only a few years ago. Some of the country’ s largest producers have had to scale back their original ambitions. While no one has abandoned their sustainability goals or net-zero commitments, what’ s changed is how they approach their next steps, with some companies pushing out aggressive deadlines and opting for more time to trial new technologies and roll out at a more measured pace. The push towards sustainability currently resembles more of a gentle nudge in the food space.
Economics drives the timeline, as it always has, with sustainability initiatives needing to prove their value prior to greenlighting. A manufacturer may look to electrify utility equipment because the cost to maintain an aging natural gas system is high enough to justify the capital investment or install solar panels and battery energy storage systems( BESS) to stabilize energy costs. The directives being driven out of corporate sustainability still come with a very large asterisk: reduce emissions, but make sure the project justifies the price tag.
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