In a previous blog post, we wrote about the growing activity inside food ingredient companies to communicate their various efforts at establishing viable and credible sustainability programs. Industry marcom execs have been challenged to expand their communications to a wider variety of internal and external audiences. Several food ingredient companies have implemented comprehensive communications plans that integrate multiple tactics to promote their sustainability programs, including trade news coverage, advertising, social networks, e-mail marketing and more.
One tactic that appears to be having a lot of success is the idea of forming partnerships between food marketers, the cause-related non-profits and non-governmental organizations that are involved in relevant sustainability programs. One recent example that caught our attention was the partnership announced between Nestlé and The Forest Trust. The two are partnering to develop more responsible practices for palm oil sourcing and for procurement of the pulp and paper that Nestlé uses.
According to Food Business News, Nestlé and The Forest Trust have defined responsible sourcing guidelines—a set of requirements to guide the Nestlé procurement process and to ensure compliance with the Nestlé supplier code. Nestlé will seek to identify and exclude companies owning, or managing, high-risk plantations or farms linked to deforestation.
The partnership with The Forest Trust gives credibility to Nestlé’s sustainability program. The tactic also gains wider exposure through the joint promotion efforts of the two partners. Expect to see more food ingredient companies announcing eco-friendly partnerships in the months to come.