Food South Australia (Food SA) has partnered with How Sustainability to develop an online ESG platform, which it says will “revolutionise” how food and beverage companies collect and measure data across key areas such as greenhouse gas emissions, water, and waste.
The platform was built was funding from Green Industries SA, which has provided Food South Australia with a $100,000 LEAP Grant.
Furthermore, the platform will provide a comprehensive suite of policies and procedures to guide businesses in enhancing their ESG practices. Progress will be benchmarked against industry ESG goals set collaboratively by Food SA and How Sustainability.
“This is a game-changer for the food and beverage sector in South Australia. Sustainability measuring and reporting can be an overwhelming area for businesses to navigate, and How Sustainability’s platform offers a smooth and fast process for setting, measuring and achieving ESG goals,” said Marni Cook, CEO of Food South Australia.
“ESG is now crucial to engage with retailers, governments and consumers globally,” said Ali Lockwood, managing director of How Sustainability.
“Many businesses just don’t have the resources and time to engage consultants. Our affordable, scalable, online platform helps businesses easily measure their current ESG baseline, set goals, and improve their ESG performance for reporting to stakeholders. We make ESG easy,” she added.
“The circular economy is now a ‘must have’ for businesses looking to increase their resource efficiency and reduce their carbon footprint for a more efficient and more sustainable future. This project enables a key sector like the food and beverage industry to maintain our state’s reputation for providing premium products from our clean, green environment with data and evidence,” said Professor Ian Overton, Chief Executive of Green Industries SA.
Six South Australian food and beverage businesses are piloting the platform commencing in December 2023, including Almondco Australia, Olga’s Fine Foods, Pendleton Olive Estate, The Yoghurt Shop, Tucker’s Natural and Woodside Cheese Wrights. Once the pilot is complete, Food South Australia says it will open the platform up to other South Australian businesses.
