More Climate Smart Food speakers announced: Hear from Nestlé, BLUU Seafood and more
To limit global warming to 1.5°C, as per the Paris Agreement, greenhouse gas emissions must halve by 2030 and drop to net zero by 2050. For the food industry, which is linked to around one-quarter of total greenhouse gas emissions, the pressure is on.
How can environmental impacts be reduced across supply chains and throughout life cycles to ensure personal and planetary health?
At Climate Smart Food 2023, our three-day digital event from 19-21 September, we’ll be asking how the food industry can help drive a transition towards sustainable food sourcing, production, and consumption. Registrations for the free-to-attend digital summit are now open.
Each day the session will run from 2pm CET to 5pm CET and will include interactive presentations, panel discussions, audience Q&As, fireside chats and start-up pitches.
19 September: Climate Smart Sourcing
Ingredients are a major contributor to FMCGs’ carbon footprints, making sourcing practices crucial to meeting carbon reduction deadlines. But cultivation is not the only consideration: global supply chains are increasingly plagued by disruption and have long been linked to human rights violations. How can sustainability be embedded into global supply chains?
On Day 1 of Climate Smart Food, we’ll be asking how best to mitigate against supply chain disruptions linked to droughts, floods or war; what sustainability legislation means for food majors; and whether regenerative agriculture can truly save the day.
Highlights include...
- Panel discussion: Managing disrupted supply chains amid droughts, floods and war
Supply chain disruptions have become increasingly commonplace amid recent natural disasters and global conflicts, threatening food production and global insecurity. How can these challenges be overcome in the short-term, and networks reimagined for the long-term, with resilience in mind?
Speakers include Anniemarie Groot, PhD, Wageningen Environmental Sciences Group, Wageningen University & Research and Geert van Aelst, head of sustainability, Sugar Division, Südzucker AG.
- Panel discussion: Can we trust regenerative agriculture to save the day?
Regenerative agriculture is tipped to boost soil health, support healthy water use, and encourage biodiversity to thrive. But what exactly do we mean by ‘regenerative agriculture’? Without an official definition of the term, is there a greenwashing risk? We ask how trust can be sown into regenerative agriculture.
Speakers include Dr Vincent Walsh, founder & head of innovation at RegenFarmCo
20 September: Climate Smart Production
Feeding growing populations within planetary boundaries means producing more, with less. How can food and beverage makers increase output with fewer natural resources? From making the switch to ‘green’ energy to implementing water saving strategies and rethinking packaging design, we analyse the initiatives decarbonising production.
On Day 2 of Climate Smart Food, we’ll be asking how food majors can decarbonise their direct emissions; where water inefficiencies are most prevalent and how reliance can be reduced; what the future holds for plastic-free packaging; and whether we should increase our focus on the blue economy for sustainable nutrition.
Highlights include...
- Panel discussion: Water scarcity and food production
It has been suggested that the next world war will be fought over fresh water. Food production is a massive guzzler, with an estimated 240 million litres required per second to produce enough food for global populations. We ask where water inefficiencies are most prevalent and analyse strategies promising to reduce reliance on this valuable natural resource.
- Start-up pitches: Rethinking plastic with fungi, algae, and grains
Plastic pollution is a global concern, with an estimated eight million tonnes entering the marine environment every year. By 2050, there could be more plastic in the ocean than fish. Can we innovate our way out of the plastic problem? The next wave of packaging pioneers thinks so, and they’re using unlikely materials – from fungi to algae and grains – to do it. Join these innovators as their pitch their alt plastic solutions.
Speakers include Rotem Cahanovitc, CEO of MadeRight; Gergana Krusteva, marketing director at Cupffee; and Pierre Paslier, co-founder and co-CEO of Notpla.
21 September: Climate Smart Consumption
Shoppers often say they want ‘greener’ food and drink, but don’t always act with sustainability front-of-mind. Addressing barriers to climate smart consumption will be key to achieving food system transformation. Consumer demand is also a crucial piece of the food tech puzzle, with pioneers banking on us innovating our way out of the climate crisis. Are Europeans hungry for lab-grown food?
On Day 3 of Climate Smart Food, we’ll be asking what impact brands have on discouraging food waste in the home; how sustainability credentials can best stand out on the shelf; whether European consumers are ready for cultivated meat and precision fermentation dairy; and what the future holds for alternative protein.
Highlights include...
- Novel Foods: The regulatory landscape
Cultivated meat and animal-free dairy products are on the menu in other jurisdictions, but not here in the EU. What’s the hold up? Regulatory expert Katia Merten-Lenz sheds light on the intricacies of novel foods, and what EFSA’s approval process means for next-gen food on home soil.
Speaker: Katia Merten-Lentz, lawyer, Food Law Science & Partners
- Panel discussion: Pioneering the protein transition for the future
Swapping out conventional proteins for climate friendlier alternatives has the potential to lower a brand’s carbon footprint significantly. How are innovators rethinking ingredient production for the masses? Can they truly compete with their predecessors on nutrition, functionality, and accessibility?
Speakers include Romain Chayot, managing director, Standing Ovation; Gregor Tegl, co-founder and CEO, Arkeon; and Hans-Georg Höllerer, vice president & marketing, BLUU Seafood.
Join the conversation live between 19-21 September by registering for free here.
