A definition of sustainability was created in 1987 at the World Commission on Environment and Development. It was described as “development that meets the needs of the present without com­promising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs.”

Information resource ‘Towards Sustainability’ goes a step further, defining it as: “the property of being sustainable, the condition where human activity may be continued indefinitely without damaging the environment and where the needs of all peoples are met equally.”

Markets for sustainable products have expanded significantly over the last five years, growing much faster than those for conventional products, according to the State of Sustainability Initiatives (SSI) Review 2010, published in November last year.

The Fair Trade Foundation insists that the UK is one of the world’s leading Fairtrade markets, with more products and more awareness of Fairtrade than anywhere else. With it comes an increasing awareness of other ethically produced goods - and a demand that all trade take place on a level playing field.

The SSI report appears to support these findings, revealing that sales of certified sustainable coffee have more than quadrupled over the past five years; sustainable tea production by more than fifty times over the same period and sustainable cocoa sales, by 248%. Overall, there is a trend toward multi-issue initiatives that apply a wide spectrum of sustainability criteria, it says.

Issues of sustainability make a real impact on consumer choices. Kraft Foods, for example, recently commissioned a ‘Trends in Catering Survey’ which identified that interest in sustainability continues with 70% of caterers believing there is more or much more interest in ethically sourced food and drink. In the survey, this is only topped by interest in local sourcing of foods.

The same survey identified that 76% of caterers agree that our industry is responding positively to green issues. Kenco was identified, it claims, as being the most associated coffee brand in terms of sustainable farming and ethical sourcing.

Choosing a brand of coffee that is ethically sourced without compromise to quality is a real advantage. All of the beans sourced for Kenco freeze dried coffee and Kenco core roast and ground range (Kenco Westminster Medium Roast, Kenco Sustainable Development Medium Dark Roast and Kenco Italia Dark Roast) come from Rainforest Alliance Certified farms.

On these farms, the environment is protected while workers and their families are treated with respect and have access to clean water, medical care and education for their children.

Reducing the environmental impact

Alison Fletcher, National Accounts & Customer Service Director for Bunzl Vending Services, explains that its BeGreen policy works to set standards and measure operating improvements in order to reduce its environmental impact. From increasing recycling programmes to reducing fuel usage to sourcing green products, the company constantly looks for new ways to improve its performance. “We continually seek to offer the widest range of sustainable products to our customers and to endorse both international schemes, such as the Fairtrade Foundation and Rainforest Alliance with the supply of Imporient Fairtrade Tea and Kenco Coffee, together with our own company initiatives to drive ethical standards within the vending industry. We are especially proud to have been the first vending operator in the UK to promote the Fairtrade initiative back in 2004,” she said.

Neil Stephens, Managing Director of Nestlé Professional, manufacturer of leading brands NESCAFÉ and KIT KAT comments: “Knowing how important sustainability is to our customers, Nestlé has endeavoured to create shared value for all; integrating sustainability as a fundamental business practice throughout its operations.

“We see Fairtrade certification as an important step on the sustainability journey, but it’s only one part of our overall commitment. In reality our work goes much wider. For example, we work with a number of associations including the Rainforest Alliance, Fairtrade, and 4C, in addition to the farmers and production operatives; and we look to support communities with nutrition, water and rural development as part of our Cocoa and NESCAFÉ plans.

“The NESCAFÉ Plan and The Cocoa Plan together demonstrate our ongoing commitment to sustainability, and Fairtrade certification is a key element for us. It is increasingly playing a bigger role for a number of customers.”

Nestlé Professional knows the importance of stocking Fairtrade certified products and therefore recommends two of its best selling confectionery lines for vending operators, both of which are Fairtrade certified. KIT KAT Four Finger Milk remains the No.1 selling chocolate bar in the out-of-home market and the existing KIT KAT Four Finger Dark is currently the number one dark chocolate single. “Why not stock the new and improved KIT KAT Four Finger 70% Dark to help increase sales?” adds Neil. “It will feature premium matte-finish packaging, as part of the renovation, and will be supported by a range of FREE POS materials, which is crucial to helping drive customer awareness.”

Increasing sustainability potential

A more sustainable approach to vending can benefit a company across a number of levels. Jonathan Barr, Sales & Marketing Director at Selecta UK, explains: “Sustainable vending does not have to cost companies the world or incur drastic changes to facilities, just a few small changes can make a huge difference when it comes to meeting ethical and sustainable targets, as well as bringing added benefits to the company. Here in the UK Selecta positions itself at the forefront of sustainable vending, this means being the best for clients, the best for consumers and the best at operations; from respecting the environ­ment by reducing our carbon footprint and handling waste efficiently, to supporting our local community, providing a wide choice of quality products including healthy and certified alternatives for customers as well as providing a safe and enjoyable workplace for staff. In short, Selecta’s sustainable approach is not a standalone set of actions – it is part of the way it works to make your vending facility sustainable.”

The drinks vending machine business Mars Drinks takes a leading view on sustainability and is also committed to producing energy efficient machines delivering a range of responsibly sourced drinks. The ‘Thirsty for Change’ sustainability strategy displays its commitment to reducing its own impact on the environment, whilst helping its customers to do the same.

Mars Drinks believes it is vitally important to continually look for ways to improve the sustainability of its own organisation. Over 20% of the Research and Development budget for the Mars Drinks brands of vending machines - KLIX and FLAVIA - is invested in finding ways to make innovative changes to increase their sustainability potential.

The Waste To Energy (WTE) process, where power is produced and sent back into the national grid for future use, is also used by Mars Drinks. Through WTE, each year Mars Drinks is effectively saving enough electricity to power at least 30 homes.

Manufacturing up to 6,000 drinks vending machines per year and over one billion drinks per year, the company understands the important role that effective waste management plays in maintaining a sustainable organisation.

Mars Drinks designs its vending machines to be as energy efficient as possible in order to save a business money as well as helping the environment. KLIX OUTLOOK is said to be 12.5% more energy efficient for hot drinks and 51% more energy efficient in ‘stand by’ mode than the average for two leading floor standing drinks vending machines tested. And compared to average Bean to Cup machine, the FLAVIA CREATION 400 is calculated to be 52% more energy efficient over a typical year.

FLAVIA’s Filterpack is extremely lightweight as it has been designed to use the minimum amount of materials – the average Filterpack weighs less than half of a soft drink bottle cap (0.8oz).

Mars Drinks only deals with partners that trade responsibly and has a wide range of drinks available from sustainable certified sources. This includes its own sustainable drinks range within its FLAVIA brand that are Rainforest Alliance Certified.

Sustainable Farming

PepsiCo UK and Ireland recently announced plans to cut carbon emissions and water usage across the farming of its core crops in the UK by 50% over the next 5 years. Its first Sustainable Farming Report, just published, details how the company will be working in partnership with 350 British farmers to reach its aim of ’50 in 5’. The parent company of Walkers, Quaker, Tropicana and Copella is the largest buyer of British potatoes since switching to 100% British potatoes in 2007 for Walkers crisps. The company is also one of the UK’s largest purchasers of British oats and apples, using 100% British produce in Copella English Apple juice, Quaker Oats, Oat So Simple and Scott’s Porridge.

Initiatives detailed in the report include: new i-crop ‘precision farming’ technology - a revolutionary web-based crop management tool developed in conjunction with Cambridge University and currently being trialed by a number of PepsiCo potato farmers; trials of new low-carbon fertilizers with Spearhead farms, one of Walkers’ largest suppliers; and plans to replace more than 75% of PepsiCo UK’s current potato stock with varieties that will significantly improve farmers’ yields and decrease wastage by 2015.

Robin Griffiths of Duncote Farm, Shropshire has grown potatoes for Walkers for over three decades. He said: “In my time we’ve seen off many challenges; we’ve suffered from flooding, drought and are in a region of water stress. The partnership we have had with PepsiCo over the years has given my business the focus and confidence to grow, and tools like i-crop are invaluable in making my business more sustainable, both financially and environmentally.”

Commenting on the PepsiCo UK sustainable farming report, Richard Perkins, Senior Commodities Adviser at WWF said: “The food industry is starting to recognise that in order to fully embed sustainability and biodiversity in its business practices, a large part of the focus must be on the agricultural supply chain. In this respect PepsiCo UK has taken a leadership role in recognising that it is, at its heart, an agricultural business. The focus of the business on improving its key environmental impacts, such as greenhouse gas emissions – in the field and on the farm – is most welcome.”

Making it easier to recycle

German vending machine manufacturer, Sielaff, has announced the launch of a new ‘reverse vending machine’. The new i-Core V50, is the environmentally friendly way to return and recycle PET bottles and cans. Speaking about Sielaff’s latest launch, Sielaff UK General Manager, Karen Nash said: “As a nation we are gradually getting to grips with recycling and if you make it easy to recycle, the general public will respond. That is why we expect the I-Core V50 to do well in both staff restaurants and on public vending sites. It makes it just as easy to recycle as to drop litter. I can see it proving very popular in the UK, even though we do not have many bottle return schemes just yet.”

From ensuring that the developing countries get a fair deal, to protecting the environment on a local, national and international level to sourcing locally produced goods, sustainability works in a number of ways to improve the social and environmental impact of trade. Both here and abroad, businesses are rising to the challenge by placing sustainability at the heart of their operations.

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