Consumer demand for eco-friendly products, with proactive environmental policies and transparent supply chains, is raising the profile of sustainable companies in the food industry. New technologies are simultaneously improving sustainability across the spectrum of food production and distribution from “field to fork”. The global farming industry is undergoing an AgTech revolution that is driving positive change across the entire value chain.
Sustainability begins with effective land and resource management and the implementation of both precision and regenerative agricultural methods that protect the environment. It extends to transparent and ethical ingredient sourcing, environmentally-friendly packaging, and carbon footprint disclosures for each item of food.
Sustainability translates to profitability
When companies implement sustainable policies like regenerative agriculture, ethical decisions that meet consumer expectations can also deliver wider savings and improved profitability.
Source: Patrick Smith on LinkedIn
This article features nine of the most creative and technologically innovative companies that are bringing high quality sustainable foods to consumers around the world, and strengthening the food supply chain and protecting the environment in the process.
Nine highly innovative companies
Swiss multinational Nestlé is one of the giants of the global food industry and is a major producer of coffee (including the famous Nescafé brand), chocolate and dairy foods. Nestlé operates a large coffee supply chain, sourcing coffee beans from growers around the world. The company is actively transforming coffee farming by promoting regenerative agriculture and increasing sourcing beans from sustainable sources.
In 2024, Nescafé sourced 32% of its coffee from farmers practicing regenerative agriculture. The company is creating a model that others can follow and is incentivising a transition to regenerative practices that are improving soil health and biodiversity in coffee growing regions. This is an encouraging trend that will have positive long-term consequences for farming communities.
Beyond Meat was one of the early pioneers of plant-based meat alternatives and the first of the new sector’s companies to go public. The company capitalized on consumer demand for ethical and sustainable meat substitutes and succeeded in bridging the gap between traditional vegetarian foods, and a new type of plant-based food that closely resembles products like burgers, sausages, meatballs and steaks.
Beyond Meat is successfully utilizing core protein ingredients like peas to create meat substitutes, but with up to 90% less overall emissions than farmed meat. The extremely low carbon footprint of Beyond Meat foods (in comparison to animal-derived meats) is a powerful incentive for consumers seeking environmentally-responsible food choices.
ICL Group is one of the world’s largest fertilizer manufacturers and has almost a century of experience in the specialty minerals sector. ICL Group is primarily contributing to sustainability in farming and food production through its utilization of advanced phosphates in food manufacture and through a range of eco-certified fertilizers and biostimulants that are reducing costs for growers and minimizing negative environmental impacts like nutrient runoff.
eqo.x and eqo.s are sophisticated controlled release fertilizers (CRFs) which utilize a first-of-its-kind biodegradable coating to synchronize nutrient release with plant requirements during the growth cycle. Puraloop is a sustainable ICL Group fertilizer that is manufactured by recycling phosphorus from waste streams. Puraloop is a flagship example of a circular economy in action.
Danone (branded as Dannon in the US) is a French multinational food corporation that is channeling research and development into sustainable food and drinks, and specialized nutritional solutions in alignment with the company’s “One Planet. One Health” vision. Fresh dairy products account for around half of Danones sales and Danone is actively forging partnerships with net-zero dairy producers.
Danone is also expanding its plant-based food lines. One of Danone’s most successful brands is Silk, a range of soy and almond-based milk alternatives and plant-based yoghurt and coffee creamer substitutes. Danone is demonstrating the commercial viability of plant-based alternatives to traditional dairy products and introducing them to a global mass market.
Oatly is a Swedish company that produces dairy alternatives from oats. The company’s range includes oat milk, icecream, yoghurt substitutes and a variety of other oat-based foods. Oatly successfully mastered the consumer “taste test” with its ability to manufacture convincing and appetising dairy alternatives and achieved brand loyalty in key US, European and UK markets.
Oatly focuses on providing buyers with a fully transparent supply chain that demonstrates sustainability and also proven health benefits of oat-based foods compared to their dairy-derived equivalents. Oatly also fortifies its dairy substitutes to counter any shortfall of essential minerals and vitamins that occur naturally in milk. The company is using nutritional technologies to provide an ethical and low carbon footprint alternative to milk as a food ingredient.
General Mills is an American Multinational based in Minnesota that is a major manufacturer of cereal and grain-derived processed foods. The company is particularly well-known for its range of breakfast cereals and baking goods. General Mills is playing a leading role in promoting regenerative agriculture and sustainability initiatives across America’s Midwest agricultural heartlands.
General Mills has a strategic goal of improving soil health on one million acres of farmland by 2030 and is employing farmer incentives to achieve this ambitious regeneration objective. General Mills is working in partnership with Regrow Agriculture to implement a software and data analysis-based approach to regeneration that utilizes satellite imagery to quantify progress.
Campbell’s, formerly known as the Campbell Soup Company is one of the best-known manufacturers of canned soups and other canned foods. Its diversified brands and subsidiaries deliver wider penetration of the food market through baked goods, snacks and sauces etc. Campbell’s is a useful example of how a major food company can combine multi-faceted sustainability initiatives and circular economies as part of a long-term sustainability strategy.
Campbell’s is transitioning 100% of its food packaging for recycling or composting by 2030 and is incorporating more recycled materials into its designs. The company is also innovating to create zero food waste and landfill use and is reducing its carbon footprint in alignment with science-based targets. By combining these initiatives with sustainable sourcing, water stewardship and consumer education, Campbell’s is systematically reducing its carbon footprint.
Processed food production depends on functional ingredients to transform core staples into appetising foodstuffs with a viable shelf life and high nutritional density. Chr. Hansen uses the latest technologies to manufacture bacteria cultures, probiotics and enzymes for cheese and dairy production, as well as a variety of meat and seafood and fermented foods.
Chr. Hansen was recognized by the WEF as the world’s most sustainable company in 2019 and is continuing its focus on improving plant, animal and human health with next generation nutritional solutions. The company is also investing in biological processes for producing novel proteins without placing additional strain on land and resources.
Grupo Bimbo is a Mexican Multinational food company with a global reach. It is also one of the top sustainable food companies in the region. Grupo Bimbo operates a corporate platform called A Sustainable Way to implement sustainable practices across four strategic pillars: Carbon, Water, Waste and Natural Capital. The Ethisphere Institute has recognized Grupo Bimbo as one of the world’s most ethical companies on four separate occasions.
Grupo Bimbo is a member of the RE100 pact and intends to transition to 100% renewable energy by the end of 2025. It is also implementing measures to achieve zero waste status by 2030, with 100% sustainable packaging, optimized water management and the channeling of (unavoidable) food waste into composting and recycling programs.
Opting for a sustainable food system
Food companies are increasingly seeing the long-term advantages of transitioning to sustainability. Consumers and investors can contribute to the global push towards a sustainable food supply system by learning more about the issues and identifying companies and brands that provide supply chain transparency and demonstrate tangible and quantifiable sustainability practices.
Corporations that operate regenerative agriculture programs, sustainable sourcing, circular economies and recycling, and net-zero commitments (on a profitable basis) are likely to enjoy a competitive advantage, developing brand loyalty, attracting interest from ethical investors, forging powerful strategic partnerships and effective market penetration.
